BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO) has yet again achieved another milestone following its win of the 2014 Asia Pacific Team of the Year Award at the recently concluded World Trademark Review (WTR) Industry Awards held in Hong Kong. 

BDO Unibank is the very first Filipino company to have been shortlisted and bagged the coveted honor in the history of the WTR Industry Awards, an apparent testament to the Bank's commitment and expertise in protecting its global brand. 

"When it comes to successful enforcement, BDO Unibank was identified as epitomising the spirit of 'act local, think global', working hard to protect its marks both at home and abroad," noted WTR editor Trevor Little. WTR is the world’s lone independent international magazine solely dedicated to trademark law and practice.

He also acknowledged the Bank's intellectual property team composed of in-house counsels Angelita Cortez, Ma. Cecilia Santos, and Earl Charles Villarin and Marketing Communications Group head Rafael Besa, "for the savvy understanding of the IP law; working tirelessly to maximize success for the business; and, taking part in the regional activities aimed at protecting a brand that was named Best Asian Bank by FinanceAsia."

BDO Unibank bested in this category prominent global brands, namely, Accolade Wines, Hitachi, Nissan Motor Company and Telstra. It now joins the elite list of past winners which include Billabong International, Gucci Group, Ferrero, Yamaha, and Starbucks Corp.

Prior to the win, the Bank has successfully concluded a worldwide trademark use and co-existence agreement with BDO International, one of the world's largest international networks of public accounting, tax consultancy and specialist advisory firms. 

The agreement is envisioned to protect the mutual interests of both parties in their respective global brands and effectively settles the various trademark disputes between them in the Philippines, Hong Kong, US, Italy and the United Kingdom. 

With the conclusion of the deal, BDO Unibank's more than 300 trademark applications in more than 50 countries worldwide are expected to flourish to full trademark registrations, thus, further complementing its overall global expansion strategy.    

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