The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the international authority for the registration of geographical indications, successfully organised the ‘Seminar on Geographical Indications’ on December 3 in Mexico City.

The event was attended by more than 100 in-person guests, including officials from the economic development ministries of various Mexican states, public officials, producers, artisans, representatives of regulatory councils and marketers, among others, as well as 300 people connected online.

The activity pursues raising awareness of IP protection and enforcement by supporting the monitoring of developments in the LA countries in relation to the online and physical marketplaces that are identified in the EC Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List.

The European Commission publishes a Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List biannually that identifies and describes the most problematic marketplaces around the world, whose operators or owners reportedly engage in, facilitate, or benefit from counterfeiting and piracy.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), a leading organization in the field of Intellectual Property (IP), presented the IP Key LA Summit 2025 on February 4 in Brazil.

To address the challenges of copyright and related rights protection in Latin America, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), , organised the ‘International Seminar Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in Copyright and Related Rights: Advances and Trends’ on 29 and 30 October at the Arbitration and Conciliation Centre of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.

The activity/activities provide for the possibility of undertaking ad hoc initiatives upon the request of DG TRADE.

The description and objectives of the on-demand study or assistance to be undertaken in relation to the on-going FTA negotiations, IP Dialogue or in relation to the implementation of FTA obligations will be defined in accordance with the request to be made by DG TRADE.

The activity consists of tailor-made studies to assist Uruguay in preparing for the accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), Costa Rica to the accession to the Madrid Protocol, and Argentina to the Vienna Agreement establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks.

An external expert will be engaged to monitor and report on the following:

1. Up-to-date information on the state of play of legislative initiatives
2. Information on enforcement initiatives or actions
3. Any local developments concerning IPR protection and enforcement in all issues covered by the FTA.
4. On GIs: number of protected GIs under their domestic legislation for agri-goods and others; enforcement provisions/practice.

Over the past decade, the EUIPN (national and regional IPOs of the EU, the EUIPO, international partners, and users of the IP system) has created tools and converging practices (CPs) that have shaped the EU trade mark and design system: cutting fees, saving costs, creating numerous trade mark and design search tools. The network’s flagship tools, TMview and DesignView are the largest trade mark and design databases in the world, allowing businesses to search from a staggering 116 million trade marks and 21 million designs.

The Annual Work Plan 2023 of the IP Key Programme in Latin America has successfully concluded, highlighting a series of 21 strategic activities. From January to December, IP Key LA has led crucial initiatives that strengthen the dissemination of intellectual property protection in the region.