Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 5) — Television hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon own the trademark for “Eat Bulaga,” the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPO) ruled, as it cancelled the certificate of registration that allows Television and Production Exponents Inc. (TAPE) to use the mark.
In a decision dated Monday and made public on Tuesday, the IPO granted the petition filed by the three hosts — collectively known as “TVJ” — to cancel the certificate of registration issued to TAPE in 2013.
Last May, the long-time hosts of “Eat Bulaga” resigned from the production company, citing mistrust of the new management as one of their reasons.
Shortly after, they signed an agreement with Mediaquest Group, making TV5 their new home. The trio has remained firm on keeping the title \”Eat Bulaga!\” for their new show with TV5, although it is currently called \” E.A.T.\”
In their petition before the IPO, the three maintained that they are the owners of the \”Eat Bulaga\” trademark and that they have the “absolute and exclusive right” to register this.
For one, they said it is “an undisputed public knowledge” that the show’s name is De Leon’s brainchild. They added that they started using “Eat Bulaga” not only before TAPE registered the mark in 2013, but even when the show was still being produced by Production Specialists, Inc. and prior to incorporation of TAPE in 1981.
The hosts also argued that throughout their 44 years on the show, they have established their reputation as the bearer of the \”Eat Bulaga\” brand.
“Based on the foregoing, respondent-registrant TAPE Inc.’s registrations should be cancelled and they should be disallowed from using the marks ‘ Eat Bulaga and EB’ and ‘EB’ in commerce and media as this amounts to riding on the goodwill that petitioners TVJ has built over the years,” they said in the petition.
The IPO found merit in these arguments, saying TVJ proved it is the originator and owner of the contested mark.
\”Petitioners’ explanation or story on how initially the idea of the EAT BULAGA mark came about did seem believable and credible,” the IPO said.
It added that TAPE did not refute the statement on how TVJ coined the term as title for the variety show, and “even corroborated petitioners’ explanation.”
