Mr. Gaba is a Monitor of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Department. He specializes in intellectual property, cyberspace and e-commerce law, and data privacy and protection.
Among his significant transactions are:
- Assisting various foreign and local clients in complying with the requirements under the Philippine Data Privacy Act and other related rules and issuances of the National Privacy Commission, and representing them before the same Commission as well as assisting them in handling security incidents and possible data breaches
- Assisting various foreign and local clients in managing their intellectual property portfolio, including advising them of IP best strategies in terms of securing effective protection for their IP assets both locally and internationally
- Actively prosecuting and defending various IP assets of both local and foreign clients before local courts and quasi-judicial agencies
Mr. Gaba wrote several legal articles, including:
- “International Copyright Law; A Practical Global Guide” published by Global Law and Business (2013);
- “PLC Cross-Border Data Protection Handbook” published by Practical Law PLC (2011); and
- “Old Laws, New Crimes? A Framework for Cybercrime Legislation in the Philippines” (2002) (recipient of the 2002 Prof. Maria Clara Campos for Best Legal Research in Commercial Law).
He has also written a number of articles for the Digest of Information Technology and the Law (“DIGITAL”), such as:
- “Factoring Facts: The Debate on Database Protection” (2001); and,
- “Of Crimes and Computers: Cybercrime and the Electronic Commerce Act” (2001).
Mr. Gaba regularly conducts lectures on cybercrime, data privacy, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property issues, such as:
- “Review of Special Laws Relating to Cybercrime” at the Seminar-Workshop on Combating Cybercrime in the Philippines for Judges held in Manila (2012);
- “Challenges to Philippine MSMEs: Maximizing the Functions of Trademarks” at the Intellectual Property Seminar of the Japan Patent Office and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines held in Makati City (2012);
- “Emerging Issues in Copyright and Copyright in the Internet” at the Intensive Program for Intellectual Property Mediation held at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, Taguig City (2011); and,
- “Copyright in the Internet” at the Intellectual Property Rights Training for Arbitrators on Copyright held at University of the Philippines, College of Law, Quezon City (2010).
Mr. Gaba regularly serves as a panelist and moderator for seminars on software protection, IP best practices, technology commercialization strategies, and intellectual property protection. He also serves as a Regular Member of the Philippine Supreme Court’s Subcommittee on E-Commerce and a Regular Resource Person for its Subcommittee on Notaries Public.
Mr. Gaba is currently a member of the Corps of Professors of the Philippine Judicial Academy, serving as a professor/lecturer on e-commerce and cyberspace law, data privacy and protection, and intellectual property before judges, lawyers, and other legal practitioners working for and aspiring for a career in the judiciary. He is currently a member of the Commercial Law Department faculty of the De La Salle University teaching international law, and used to teach intellectual property law and legal logic and technique at the School of Law of Angeles University Foundation. Mr. Gaba is also a regular resource person of the University of the Philippines – Law Center for its various seminars and training workshops covering the intellectual property, cybercrimes, internet/e-commerce law, and data privacy and protection.
Mr. Gaba is a member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (“ASEAN-IPA”), and the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines. He currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of the ASEAN-IPA and elected as one of the Philippine Councilors for the same association. He is also a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Mr. Gaba was identified in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 Editorial as a recommended lawyer in the practice area of Intellectual Property.
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.