Divina Pastora V. Ilas-Panganiban
Biography
Divina Ilas-Panganiban, CIPM is a partner and the head of Quisumbing Torres’ Intellectual Property, Data and Technology Practice Group and co-heads the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Group. She participates in initiatives of Baker & McKenzie International of which Quisumbing Torres is a member firm.
Divina is a Certified Information Privacy Manager by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She currently serves as the Vice-President and Director of the Philippine Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society International, the Co-chairperson of the Committee on Intellectual Property Rights of The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and the Chairperson of the IAPP KnowledgeNet Chapter for the Philippines.
Divina was appointed by the Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) in the Advisory Council for Intellectual Property. The ACIP is an advisory board composed of a select group of people from different sectors to which IP is of great value. She recently received the Intellectual Property Citation for Partner Individuals at the 2025 IPOPHL Gawad Yamang Isip Awards. This recognition is a testament of Divina’s outstanding and invaluable contribution as a partner in strengthening and advancing the protection of intellectual property in the Philippines. The awards honor institutions and individuals for their significant contributions in improving the quality of life of Filipinos through their use of the IP system.
After serving her term as the chair of the Unreal Campaign Committee of the International Trademarks Association (INTA) for East Asia and the Pacific, Divina continues to serve in the committee and organizes anti-counterfeiting activities in schools and universities around the country, educating the youth about the importance of intellectual property protection.
Divina is a multi-awarded lawyer with a stellar track record in the IP, data and technology fields. She has garnered numerous awards and accolades and was recently recognized in the Hall of Fame for Best External Lecturers by the IP Academy of the IPOPHL. She has been cited as leading lawyer for intellectual Property and TMT by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers Asia Pacific, Managing IP, World Trademark, Asialaw and IAM Patent 1000, among others. Known for her exceptional legal expertise and unwavering commitment to her clients, Divina has established herself as a leader in her profession.
Practice Focus
Divina's practice focuses on the protection of trademarks, copyright, patents and other intellectual property rights. She also assists clients in licensing and IP commercialization transactions, including franchising arrangements. She has advised various clients on regulatory and compliance matters, and has extensive experience in IP litigation cases, domain name disputes, data privacy, data breach and cyber security matters. Her strategic counsel further encompasses data privacy and artificial intelligence, demonstrating a deep understanding of the evolving technological landscape.
She is an accredited arbitrator of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office and often serves as resource speaker in local and international seminars on IP and IT laws.
Representative Legal Matters
- Assisted Jollibee Foods Corporation in securing the first-ever declarations under the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines’ (IPOPHL) newly launched Rules and Regulations for the Declaration and Creation of the Register of Well-Known Marks.
- Manage the worldwide trademark portfolio of a Philippines-based multinational company and the largest Filipino fast-food corporation. Assist in its brand management, IP protection and enforcement, and IP commercialization activities across the globe.
- Assist a global biopharmaceutical company in registering and maintaining its marks with the Philippine IPO and in filing opposition/cancellation actions against third-party marks which are confusingly similar to its well-known and/or registered marks. We also assist the client in a number of IP investigation and enforcement actions.
- Assist the Singapore subsidiary of a global social media and technology company in ensuring full compliance with Philippine data privacy requirements of its various products and service offerings. Review and advise on the consent language and privacy notices prior to roll-out of new products or product updates. Analyze security incidents and advise on the application of personal data breach notification obligations under Philippine regulations which should be met within 72 hours from discovery of the breach.
- Advise a global e-commerce leader operating one of the world’s largest online marketplaces on the implications of the Philippines’ Internet Transactions Act of 2023 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, with a focus on platform accountability, cross-border enforcement, and consumer protection.
- Assist and advise client, the franchisor of a unique retail system it owns and develops constantly, which consists of a distinctive combination of building design, interior and exterior accessories, business systems and methods (including unique food and beverage systems), operating standards, advertising and marketing techniques, customer clubs, digital components and applications supporting the implementation of the retail system on the franchising arrangement to ensure compliance with Philippine IP and licensing laws.
- Successfully obtained a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court of the Philippines for a leading barbecue fast food restaurant chain in the Philippines, involving an opposition case against the application for registration of a trademark in the name of a local company, which is confusingly similar to the client's famous mark.
- Successfully represented a global food and beverage chain in an enforcement action against a franchisor and several franchisees using the client's mark as a name of one of its products.
- Assist the Philippine entities of a global technology company on the following: (i) requirements of the Data Privacy Act and Implementing Rules and Regulations on the entities’ appointment of a data protection officer; (ii) review its personal data privacy policy which is viewable by online users in the client’s websites; and (iii) provide round-the-clock assistance during a compliance and onsite check conducted by the National Privacy Commission, and in meeting the requirements of the NPC compliance team.
- Assist a US-based car-rental company on legal matters relating to franchising arrangement to ensure compliance with Philippine IP and licensing laws. Handle pre-clearance of the franchising agreement with the Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTB) of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office.
- Represent and assist an Asian health and beauty care chain store in successfully prosecuting a domain name complaint before the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, under the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and related rules, against a US-based registrant for bad faith use and trademark infringement involving a domain confusingly similar to the client’s marks.
Professional Honors
- Top Patent Practitioner, IAM Global Leaders, 2025 to 2026
- Intellectual Property Citation for Partner Individuals, Gawad Yamang Isip Awards, Intellectual Property of the Philippines (IPOPHL), 2025
- Woman Lawyer of the Year, ALB Philippine Law Awards, 2023
- Hall of Fame - Best External Lecturer, Intellectual Property Academy of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, 2023
- Hall of Fame for Intellectual Property, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2024
- Leading Individual for Intellectual Property, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2017 to 2023
- Leading Individual for TMT, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2016 to 2024
- Band 3, Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2024
- Band 4, Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2021 to 2023
- Global Leader: Private Practice, World Trademark Review, 2023
- Litigation Star for Intellectual Property, Benchmark Litigation, 2021 to 2023
- Distinguished Practitioner for Intellectual Property, asialaw Leading Lawyers, 2020 to 2023
- IP Expert, Asia IP, 2019 to 2023
- Trademark Star, ManagingIP IP Star, 2018 to 2023
- Gold, Leading Individual for Enforcement and Litigation, World Trademark Review 1000, 2023 to 2024
- Silver, Leading Individual for Prosecution and Strategy, World Trademark Review 1000, 2023 to 2024
- Silver, Leading Individual for Enforcement and Litigation, World Trademark Review 1000, 2020 to 2022
- Bronze, Leading Individual for Prosecution and Strategy, World Trademark Review 1000, 2020 to 2022
- Highly Recommended Individual, IAM Patent 1000, 2022 to 2023
- Winner, Managing IP's The Top 250 Women in IP list 2022
- Data Privacy and Protection Lawyer of the Year, Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards, 2021 to 2022
- Privacy & Data Protection Lawyer of the Year Lawyer of the Year, Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards, 2022
- Awardee, Client Choice Awards for Trademark, Lexology, 2022
- Awardee, Top 10 Best External Lecturers, Intellectual Property Academy of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, 2022 to 2023
- Elite IP Awardee for Excellence in Leading In Teaching and Educating IP, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, 2021
- Winner, Top 100 Women in Litigation for Intellectual Property, Benchmark Litigation, 2021
- Leading Female IP Practitioner, Top 250 Women in IP, ManagingIP, 2020/21
- Winner, ALB Super 50 TMT Lawyers, Asian Legal Business, 2021
- Trademark Lawyer of the Year, Women in Business Law Awards, 2021
- Recommended Individual, IAM Patent 1000, 2017 to 2021
- Up and Coming Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2020
- Finalist, Data Privacy and Protection Lawyer of the Year, Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards, 2023
- Finalist, Trademark Lawyer of the Year, Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards, 2023
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Licensing Executives Society International – Vice-President and Director of the Philippine Chapter; the Regional Vice-chair of the LESI's Education Committee
- International Trademarks Association (INTA) – Unreal Campaign Committee
- Advisory Council for Intellectual Property (ACIP) of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)
- American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines – Co-chairperson of the IP Rights Committee
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) – Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
- IAPP KnowledgeNet Philippine Chapter – Chairperson
- ASEAN Intellectual Property Association
- Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP)
- International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
- U.P. Women Lawyers Circle
- Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society for Social Science
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines
- International Bar Association
Admissions
- Philippines (2001)
Education
- Lund University (Master of Laws Intellectual Property and International Human Rights, with Distinction) (2003)
- University of the Philippines (Bachelor of Laws) (2000)
- University of the Philippines (B.A. Public Administration, cum laude) (1995)
Languages
- English