Feliciano V Dir of Patent

G.R. No.
L-4572
May 22, 1953
DOLORITO M. FELICIANO and MAXIMO B. TAPINIO, applicants-appellees.

MELITON D ALBAA, petitioner-appellant,
vs.
THE DIRECTOR OF PATENT, respondent-appelle.
Meliton D. Albaa in his own behalf.
Office of the Solicitor General Pompeyo Diaz and Solicitor Pacifico P. de Castro for
respondent and appellee.
PADILLA, J.:
An application for patent was filed with the Patent Office.
Pending examination of the application, Meliton D. Albaa filed a motion to intervene
claiming that the applicant-inventors had "sold and/or bartered and assigned to him their
right to contract or deal the sale of their invention called Fel-Tap Meter Guard and Detector to
or though the Corporation that they were then organizing under his direction and to fix and
decide on the purchase price of it to at least P200,000 in installments cash and P300,000 in
shares of stock of said Corporation . . ." and praying that applicant-inventor Maximo D.
Tapinio be compelled to sign a contract (Appendix I) and, together with the other applicantinventor Dolorito M. Feliciano who had already signed it, to acknowledge it and another
contract (Appendix II) before a notary public, to have both contracts recorded in the Patent
Office and in the Office of the Register of Deeds, and that the patent for the invention be
issued in his name and in the name of the inventors.
The motion was denied on the ground under the provisions of the Patent Law (Republic Act
No. 165) the Director of Patents has no jurisdiction or power to decide the question
submitted to him.
The movant filed an amended motion to intervene claiming "that he is the assignee of
inventors Dolorito M. Feliciano and Maximo Tapinio of the undivided part interest in the
invention for whose letter-patent the named petitioners Dolorito M. Feliciano and Maximo
Tapinio are herein applying."
The amended motion was denied on the ground that the assignment made to the movant is
not one of exclusive right to make, use the sell1 the electrical contrivance for which a patent
is applied for; that it is just an authority to act as the selling agent for the inventors of the
patent, if granted, and the invention covered thereby and to receive compensation therefor;
and that not being entitled to have his name included as one of the patentees, if patent for
the invention be granted, the movant has no right to intervene in the proceedings for the
grant of the patent.
An exception to and a motion for reconsideration of the proceeding order were noted and
denied.
From the orders denying his motions to intervene the movant has appealed. 2
What the appellant attempted to secure by his motion to intervene is clearly beyond the
jurisdiction and authority of the Director of Patents to grant. Despite the amendment to the
first motion to the intervene by which he claims assignment of the invention, still it remains
that the alleged assignment is not the invention but it is an agreement whereby he is to act
as selling agent for the inventors of the patent (if granted) and of the invention covered
thereby and to receive compensation therefor. This finding of the Director of Patents is
supported by the following clauses found in the contract (Appendix I): "We (the inventors) . . .
hereby declare and ratify that both of us are the co-inventors and joint fifty-fifty owners of the
"Fel-Tap Electric Meter Guard & Detector' . . . ." "We are now organizing a Corporation under
the direction of Mr. Albaa (Meliton D. Albaa) to exploit and industrialize the invention . . .
which we promise hereby to sell to said Corporation with its letter-patent . . . except the
Royalty Right of the same, . . . ." "For and in consideration of the monetary and other helps
(help) that said Mr. Meliton D. Albaa . . . has rendered and is rendering us . . . of
approaching, interesting and looking for subscribers and prayers to the capital stocks (stock)
of said Corporation to be . . . we hereby promise and actually pay to said Mr. Albaa in
installment fifty thousand pesos (P50,000) of said P200,000 installments cash purchase
price . . . ." The above quoted terms and stipulations of the executory contract clearly show
that it was not an assignment of the invention and the patent applied for.
Assignments of patents and inventions covered thereby may be recorded in books and
records kept for the purpose in the Patent Office is presented in due form; 3 but the appellant
does not ask for the registration of the alleged agreement between him and the inventors,
because as it is not in due form it cannot be recorded, but prays that the Director of Patents
compel applicant-inventor Maximo B. Tapinio to sign the contract executed and signed by the
other applicant-inventor Dolorito M. Feliciano on 14 March 1950 (Appendix I) and both
applicant-inventors to acknowledge it and another document which by all indication refers to
the minutes of a meeting of the organizers of the Manufacturing Corporation held on 30
March 1950, before a notary public, and then to have both documents recorded in the Patent
Office and in the office of the Registrar of Deeds. Under the provisions of the Patent Law
(Republic Act No. 165), the Director of Patent has no power and authority to compel the
applicant-inventors to do what the appellant is asking them to perform. What the appellant
asked the Director Patents to do for him is essentially a judicial function which would require
the determination or finding by a court of competent jurisdiction as to whether there was a
meeting of the minds of the contracting parties before it could compel the applicant-inventors
to perform what the appellant prays the court to order them to do. Aside from want of
authority and power, the Director of Patent lacks the means to make such determination and
finding which would be necessary before he could act on the appellant's motion.
The orders appealed from are affirmed, with costs against the appellant.

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G.R. No.

May 22, 1953

DOLORITO M. FELICIANO and MAXIMO B. TAPINIO, applicants-appellees.

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