The Court of Appeals (CA) has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Television and Production Exponents, Inc. (TAPE) in its copyright infringement case against veteran entertainers Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ.
In a decision promulgated on September 8, 2025, the appellate court affirmed its earlier ruling recognizing TVJ as the rightful copyright owners of the audiovisual recordings and jingles of the noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’. The court stressed that TAPE “was never involved in nor did it participate in any step of the creative process,” and had used the disputed materials without the consent of their creators.
The CA also ruled that TAPE acted in bad faith when it registered the trademarks ‘Eat Bulaga’, ‘EB’, and related logos in 2011 despite knowledge that TVJ had long established their creation and use. Such bad faith, the court said, is grounds for the cancellation of the registrations at any time.
As part of the ruling, TAPE was ordered to pay ₱2 million in temperate damages, ₱500,000 in exemplary damages, and ₱500,000 in attorney’s fees to TVJ.
This is not the first time the case was resolved in favor of TVJ. In December 2024, the CA also dismissed TAPE’s petition to overturn the earlier ruling of the Marikina Regional Trial Court, which recognized TVJ’s rights to the Eat Bulaga trademark.
