ESTABLISHED IN 2005

Total number of professionals: 19 (9 partners and principals)
Principal office: Makati

Key practice areas

IP law (contentious and non-contentious) including trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, searches, licensing, due diligence, litigation, mediation, arbitration, product and plant variety registration, IP valuation; corporate and commercial; tax advisory and compliance; estate planning and trusts; foreign investments and joint ventures; family law and adoption; and employment and immigration.

Our services

The Hechanova Group is composed of a consulting firm handling IP protection and other non-contentious IP work, Hechanova & Co, and a law firm with extensive experience in contentious IP work, Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio. The group advises on matters related to trademarks, patents, copyright, domain names, utility models, designs, litigation, licensing and franchising.

Hechanova & Co specialises in patents and trademarks prosecution and maintenance, search services, review of license agreements and other IP related documents, renewals, IP recordals, customs recordation, food and drug product registration, plant variety protection, copyright registration, domain name registration, IP valuation and IP consulting.

Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio is a group of like-minded and innovative lawyers with over 15 years of experience in our own fields of specialization, and believes that lawyering is not just a profession but a way of life where opportunities to practice its core values of leadership, innovation, relationship, and integrity are boundless.

Partners and principals Editha Hechanova, Brenda Rivera, Noemi Rivera, Gladys Vilchez, Chrissie Ann Barredo and Joy Marie GaborTolentino concentrate on IP. All senior associate lawyers have led enforcement actions and have an average of eight years in IP litigation work. From four people in 2005, it grew to 58 in 2024.

During the 25th anniversary of the IP Code, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines under Director General Rowel S Barba issued citation awards to Hechanova & Co for being the top agent for patents and industrial design from 2017 to 2021. Earlier, Hechanova & Co was also the top patent filer for 2015 and 2016 under another DG. While patent filing from within the Philippines remains low, Hechanova & Co has participated in government programmes initiated by the Department of Science and Technology through its councils, the Technology Application and Promotion Institute and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, either directly or through the Association of PAQE Professionals (APP), by conducting lectures on patent drafting, IP management and commercialisation to state universities and research and development institutions. Editha Hechanova is a founder of APP, consisting of professionals who have passed the patent agent qualifying examination conducted by IPOPHL, and currently serves as its president.

The firm is member of various international IP organisations such as INTA, AIPLA, ECTA, FICPI, Marques, IPBA, JIPA, IP Collegium, ABA, and actively participate in pushing IP to benefit SME’s, IP owners and users, as well as some local organisations. Various publications and institutions have lauded the firm’s trademark, patent and copyright work, and looks forward to help create greater awareness and disseminate the importance of IP for the development and growth of the Philippines.