Latin America

The ‘Workshop for Patent Examiners from Latin American IP Offices: Pharma, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics’ was successfully concluded after two days of intensive training for patent examiners from the region. Held virtually on 3 and 4 September 2024, the workshop was organised by EUIPO, in the context of the IP Key Latin America project, in collaboration with the European Patent Office (EPO).

This study will show how the production and exportation of roses contribute to Ecuador’s economy. It will follow the structure and methodology of analogue studies carried out by the CPVO in the EU. The study should also prove the importance that the protection of IPRs has for the Ecuadorian flower industry, and at the same time the risk that inadequate protection of rights may mean for that sector.

The study contemplates the following topics:

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.

This activity will consist of carrying out a study that will propose changes to the Peruvian legislation on copyright, based on EU legislation, so that it could serve the authorities to effectively combat copyright infringements in the digital environment.

The study will consider recent legislative changes in other countries, with a specific focus on examples like Uruguay. The study will take into account the recent legislative changes made in Uruguay, which allow authorities to take proactive measures to effectively combat infringements of copyright and related rights.

On 19 September 2024, the seventh phase of Operation 404, a joint international effort against digital piracy, took place in Brasilia. This operation, coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, with the collaboration of EUIPO, in the context of the IP Key Latin America (IP Key LA) project, and institutions from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and the United Kingdom , as well as the support of the private sector.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as host of the Observatory on Infringements, organised and led a key discussion on enforcement, on 3 October 2024, in the city of São Paulo, within the hybrid event ‘Sharing best practices with platforms: Combating the sale of counterfeit products on the internet’ in the context of the IP Key LA project.

With more than 60 customs officials, police investigators and prosecutors from Central America and Mexico, this seminar took place from 22-24 July in San José, Costa Rica.

The seminar ‘’Fighting Intellectual Property Rights Violations in the Andean Community‘’ took place, with great success, on 15-16 May 2024 at the Externado University of Colombia.

The event brought together judges, prosecutors and officials from intellectual property offices from across the region to discuss strategies for combating IPR violations. The programme included panel discussions, expert presentations and networking opportunities among the guests.

The aim of this activity, with the support of INTERPOL, is to support different authorities in the region to carry out operational actions to combat the trade of products that infringe IP laws, pharmaceutical crimes and digital piracy.

This activity marks an evolution from previous activities for customs officials that aimed to enhance their understanding of the challenges of today’s international piracy and counterfeit trafficking. In particular, this activity aims to bolster the region through tangible operations against intellectual property crimes.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) organised the ‘Seminar on Intellectual Property for Judges of El Salvador’ in the city of San Salvador on 4 and 5 November.