MANILA, Philippines — The Manila City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed complaints of utility model infringement and unfair competition filed by Manila Express Payment Systems (MEPS) against two technology companies for insufficient evidence.
MEPS, operator of the “TouchPay” electronic collection system, had alleged that BTI Payments Philippines and Electronic Transfer Advance Processing, Inc. (eTAP) unlawfully copied its automated payment machine.
“Upon evaluation, the evidence adduced has not sufficiently or substantially established that the public or end consumers were confused as to the machines they were utilizing in their transactions,” the resolution of the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office read.
“There is also no evidence showing that when the confiscated machines were operated, such indeed showed or exhibited an imitation of the utility model flow of that of [TouchPay],” it added.
In a statement, TouchPay said it has been “aggressive at cracking down on alleged “fake” machines and has been filing cases against other competing payment kiosk providers” via the National Bureau of Investigation’s intellectual property rights division.
TouchPay is an automated payment machine that offers electronic transactions for paying utility bills, prepaid loads, and more.