John Paul M. Gaba
John Paul M. Gaba is a Partner at ACCRALAW and the Monitor of its Data Privacy & Security Group, a subgroup within the Firm’s Intellectual Property (IP) Department. He also serves as Partner-in-Charge of the Firm’s Information Security & Systems Department. With more than two decades of practice under his belt, his expertise in intellectual property, cyberspace and e-commerce law, and data privacy and protection puts him at the forefront of new and existing information technologies and their governing laws, practices, and protocols.
Mr. Gaba’s legal career involves assisting local and foreign clients with compliance requirements under the Philippine Data Privacy Act and the National Privacy Commission, as well as handling security and data breaches and mitigating associated risks. He also assists clients in managing their IP assets and portfolios, advising on strategies for protection, and providing defense and prosecution of IP-related cases before local courts and quasi-judicial agencies.
Besides his legal practice, Mr. Gaba is deeply involved in IP-relevant activities such as legal writing and authorship, lectures, speaking engagements, and hands-on coding. He was once featured by Asia IP in a piece entitled “The coding lawyer decoded.” His interests go beyond the courtroom—his technical familiarity with computer programming enables him to better understand digital structures and processes, helping him to effectively address modern digital challenges, including software licensing, privacy compliance, and technology-driven corporate issues.
Mr. Gaba has written several legal articles and handbook chapters published by Global Law and Business, Practical Law PLC, and Digest of Information Technology and the Law (DIGITAL), among others. His 2002 research on “Old Laws, New Crimes? A Framework for Cybercrime Legislation in the Philippines” was awarded the 2002 Prof. Maria Clara Campos Award for Best Legal Research in Commercial Law.
He also regularly serves as a panelist and moderator, and holds lectures, seminars, training, and workshops on cybercrime, data privacy, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property issues. His audience primarily includes judges, patent and IP professionals, and copyright arbitrators. He also serves as a Regular Member of the Philippine Supreme Court’s Subcommittee on E-Commerce and a Regular Resource Person for the Supreme Court’s Subcommittee on Notaries Public.
Mr. Gaba is also a member of the Corps of Professors at the Philippine Judicial Academy, lecturing on e-commerce, cyberspace law, data privacy, and IP law to judges, lawyers, and legal practitioners. He previously taught international law under the Commercial Law Department at De La Salle University, and was formerly a lecturer at the School of Law of Angeles University Foundation, where he taught IP law and legal logic and technique. Additionally, Mr. Gaba is a regular resource speaker for the University of the Philippines Law Center across various seminars on IP, cybercrime, e-commerce, and data protection.
Mr. Gaba is consistently recognized by international legal publications as a leading lawyer for IP in the Philippines. He was highlighted in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 Editorial as a recommended lawyer in IP, while Asia IP has recognized him as an IP Expert from 2021 to 2026.
Mr. Gaba is a member of the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN-IPA), the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP), the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the Information Security Officers Group (ISOG), and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) – Manila Chapter. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2003 and is a member of the Makati City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.