Webinar on international intellectual property treaties
The webinar on international intellectual property treaties, organised in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), successfully concluded after two days of intensive sessions. This event, held on 6 and 7 May 2024, focused on fostering dialogue among Andean countries on the challenges and opportunities of accession to the Hague Agreement and the Madrid Protocol. The aim was to raise awareness and analyse the relevance of these treaties for the Andean Community and the European Union, in relation to the international registration of industrial designs and the international registration of trademarks.
The first day began with welcoming remarks by representatives of WIPO and IP Key Latin America. The day continued with keynote presentations on the Hague Agreement and the Madrid System by WIPO experts, including Päivi Lähdesmäki and Juan Rodriguez. The main focus was on practical training prior to accession to these treaties. Subsequently, a panel of experts discussed the challenges and opportunities of being a party to both treaties, with outstanding interventions by Gabriel Benites Arrieta from the General Secretariat of the Andean Community and Carolina Sánchez Perea, from the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce of Colombia. Juan Uceda Requena, Head of International Trademarks, Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO), spoke about the challenges of accession to the Madrid Protocol.
The second day was a brief introduction to the Hague and Madrid systems. This day delved into the benefits of the accession of regional blocs to global IP protection systems from an economic perspective, with a presentation by Maryam Zehtabchi from WIPO. In addition, opportunities for the Andean Community in terms of international treaties were discussed, with contributions from experts such as Andean Community Court of Justice Judge Hugo Gómez Apac and Maximiliano Santa Cruz, former director of INAPI (Chile), who highlighted the possible advantages of being part of these agreements.
The event also featured reflections from international lawyers on the positive impact of the Madrid Protocol in their respective jurisdictions. Jon Parker from Gowling WLG, England, and Rafael Atab from Dannemann Siemsen, Brazil, shared their experiences and benefits observed after accession to the Madrid Protocol.