Latin America

The National Directorate of Industrial Property under the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay (DNPI) has published a practice paper today on the impact of non-distinctive/weak components of trade marks in the examination of llikelihood of confusion (relative grounds for refusal).

IP Key Latin America (IP Key LA), the Delegation of the European Union in Peru and the National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) present the first study on the economic contribution of industrial property in Latin America. This study focuses on the Peruvian economy and is the result of extensive and detailed research, lead by economists Italo Muñoz and Victor Revilla.

The National Directorate of Industrial Property under the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay (DNPI) has published a Practice Paper concerning the graphic representation of industrial designs.

The DNPI is the first Latin American IP office to analyse and find common ground with the criteria developed under the Common Communication on the Common Practice – Graphic Representation of Designs (CP6), referred to as ‘diseños’ (designs) in Uruguayan terminology.

For the fourth consecutive year, IP Key LA continues to offer training workshops for judges, to enhance their knowledge of the challenges to case law and legal practise related to infringements of IP rights. These training workshops in a context of international cooperation, contribute to strengthen the effective enforcement of IP rights in the region.

Spirit Design is a leading international strategic design company based in Vienna. Their team of consultants and designers assists customers in selected target industries to prepare for the future through the development and implementation of key innovation and branding strategies.

IP Key LA hosted the fourth edition of the Enforcement Week Forum for Latin America.

The theme of the conference was the enforcement of IP rights, as a reminder of why the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) is in the interest of society. The economic study conducted in Mexico was summarized by IMPI as a way to demonstrate the impact of IP in Latin America.

Customs authorities are key players in the fight against piracy and counterfeiting. This is because most infringing goods flooding the markets today are not manufactured in the country where the goods are sold and, therefore, must at some point make their way across borders.

One more year comes, and it is already 26 April, also known as the Intellectual Property day, as established by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) two decades ago. This year, under the motto “IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market”, WIPO asked all involved parties to shine a light on the critical role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the economy and how they can use intellectual property (IP) rights to build stronger, more competitive and resilient businesses.

According to the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), SMEs represent 99 % of all companies in the EU. Being a key element of the European economy, in the last 8 years they have created almost 85 % of new jobs and, overall, two thirds of total private sector employment in the EU.