A double Geographical Indication for Brazilian wines

A double Geographical Indication for Brazilian wines

Patricia Covarrubia   August 18, 2010   No comments:

On Monday, August 16, 2010 the producers of the Vale dos Vinhedos (Valley of the Vineyards) entered an application to the Brazil Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) to register the region as a Denomination of Origin (also known in Brazil as Appellation of Origin).

Back in 2002, the name was registered as an Indicação de Procedência (indication of source) - the first GI granted by the INPI. The goal is to transform it in a Denomination of Origin. In Brazil these two forms are Geographical Indication (GI), but the latter is more valued because it depends on proof that the product has special characteristics due to geographic factors and human.

Since obtaining the Indication of Source, the INPI reports that there has been a great boost in tourism (which grew over 300% in this period) and on local production (the number of wineries has grown from 15 to 31). Besides the domestic market, the goal is to invest in exports.

The legal competence of the INPI, in respect of geographical indications, is born with the Industrial Property Law, Law No. 9279, May 14, 1996, under Title IV. Added to this, INPI promulgated Resolution No 075 which establishes the procedures for the registration of GIs. The INPI not only makes the registration, but also provide guidance and assistance directly to producers and service providers concerned.

Brazil is a signatory of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Madrid Agreement on Indications of Source and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

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Colombia: Interpretación del artículo séptimo de la Convención General Interamericana de Protección Marcaria y Comercial de 1929

Colombia: Interpretación del artículo séptimo de la Convención General Interamericana de Protección Marcaria y Comercial de 1929

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez   August 17, 2010   No comments:

En pasados días un importante diario colombiano informó que la Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), en recientes decisiones, ha sentado criterios unánimes en cuanto al alcance del artículo séptimo de la Convención General Interamericana de Protección Marcaria y Comercial, relativo a la presentación de oposiciones a una solicitud marcaria.

Esta Convención, firmada en 1929 por 19 países américanos y en vigor para 10 de ellos, parte del principio del “Trato Nacional”, según el cual los Estados contratantes de la mencionada Convención deberán admitir oposiciones presentadas con fundamento en marcas no registradas en el país de la solicitud pero si en alguno de los países miembros. En virtud de lo anterior, el artículo séptimo de la Convención establece cuatro requisitos fundamentales a la hora de presentar oposiciones, a saber: (i) que la marca opositora se encuentre legalmente protegida en uno de los Estados Contratantes; (ii) que las marcas en conflicto sean sustancialmente iguales o susceptibles de producir confusión o error público consumidor; (iii) que se demuestre que el solicitante tenía conocimiento de la existencia y uso en cualquiera de los Estados Contratantes, de la marca en que se funda la oposición y (iv) que ésta se usaba y aplicaba y continúa usándose y aplicándose a productos o mercancías de las misma clase.

Con el fin de delimitar la viabilidad de las mencionadas oposiciones, la SIC ha determinado que, como resultado de la amplia difusión de la Internet a nivel mundial, las pruebas obtenidas a partir de ésta fuente son suficientes y podrían ser idóneas para demostrar el uso de la marca opositora, de conformidad con lo exigido por el artículo séptimo de la Convención.

Por su parte y en lo que atañe al requisito que exige demostrar que el solicitante tenía conocimiento del uso, empleo, registro o depósito en cualquiera de los Estados contratantes, de la marca fundamento de la oposición, para los mismos productos, la autoridad marcaria ha establecido que el hecho de que los signos en conflicto sean idénticos (sobretodo si se trata de signos de fantasía) y que el solicitante sea competidor directao del opositor son indicios importantes a tener en cuenta a la hora de analizar el caso concreto.

En efecto, se trata de importantes lineamientos que han venido consolidándose desde hace algunos años en Colombia y que propenden por la seguridad jurídica y la transparencia en una creciente cultura por el respeto de los derechos de Propiedad Intelectual.

Written by Natalia Franco (Magister Lvcentinvs), posted by Aurelio.

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Ecuador: Media/Communication Law, a project which is restrictive of freedoms

Ecuador: Media/Communication Law, a project which is restrictive of freedoms

Patricia Covarrubia   August 17, 2010   No comments:

Back on November 2009, this blog reported the debate over the final draft of the Communications Bill delivered to the National Assembly by the legislative committee responsible for its production. The Law project aroused the rejection of media and news organizations for being deficient and for blocking crucial freedoms.

This week the Ecuadorian papers once again retake the topic. El Comercio newspaper reports that, Catalina Botero, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States, conducted an analysis of the project for the second debate. She informs that “there has been progress in comparison to the text presented to the first legislative debate last December”. However, she believes that there are certain matters that are contrary to the American Convention on Human Rights.

According to the news, the most important matters are: the right of reply, compulsory licensing of journalists, the prerequisites for information, the conscience clause, the confidentiality of the source, possible censorship by the state, upon others. The law also establish monetary penalties, the suspension of business up to 30 days and even permanent closure. In addition, the project addresses that the news should be handled only by professionals journalist or licensed social communicators.

The newspaper also mentions that this is not the first complaint received by the Communications Act proposal from an international body. It refers to the Human Rights Watch which also sent a letter to President of the Assembly, Fernando Cordero, to warn of gaps in the legal project. One of the issues that the organization addresses is that by (the law) requiring the information being ‘genuine’ and ‘verifiable’, this could become a cause for censorship. In addition, the compulsory licensing is raised as being an attempted threat to international treaties as well as the system of sanctions (which is said to be broad and general).

El Universo newspaper also mentions all of the above but going further and publishing a list of critical points made by the Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States.

Fernando Cordero announced that the draft media/communication law will be discussed in September, when the assembly returns from holidays.

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The Afro-Brazil mixture

The Afro-Brazil mixture

Patricia Covarrubia   August 16, 2010   No comments:

Brazil already has agreements and negotiations with 25 African countries. Areas that are covered are for instance: economics, agriculture, sport and health. Therefore, we can say that Afro-Brazilian relations have usually been secure.

With this opening we are pleased to announce that between the 19 and 20 of August, Salvador da Bahia (the Afro-Brazilian state capital) will hold the Inter-Regional Meeting between Brazil and Africa. This time the agenda involve Intellectual Property and Economic Development.

According to the INPI web page, the aim is to “discuss new alliances between Brazilians and Africans, with gains for both sides”. The attendance for this meeting includes national and foreign specialists, in addition to representatives from institutions such as INPI, Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), Fiocruz and Sebrae (Brazilian Service to Support Micro and small enterprises). INPI’s president, Jorge Avila, and the WIPO’s deputy director, Geoffrey Onyeama, will also participate.

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Venezuelan Intellectual Property Institute, a service to whom?

Venezuelan Intellectual Property Institute, a service to whom?

Patricia Covarrubia   August 13, 2010   3 comments:

Today I write with disappointment and despair. The reason? To obtain IP information in Latin American countries is an extremely difficult task. The information is not just out there and I have to juggle between high street newspapers and magazines – nothing legal. However, I have to say that there are three IP Institutions that have provided me along the way with good and reliable material; they are INPI (Brazil), INDECOPI (Peru) and SAPI (Venezuela).

Yet, for the past two months - day after day, I have been receiving only Government propaganda from SAPI. The information varies from distributing food to the poor, to opening new supermarkets for the deprived. They also cover the closing down of companies that sell regulated products at higher prices and welcoming visits from other Presidents. There is indeed so much info (re: political propaganda) but nothing to do with IP!

I have to admit that I see this with worry. The explanation is that as I read, in a daily basics, Venezuelan newspapers I can see how the country is deteriorating in all senses. Of course this is not the blog to discuss political agendas but certainly this is news that everybody needs to hear. If you go back to all past and present posts in this blog (regarding Venezuela), you will notice how IP legislation (or lack of it) as well as administrative and judicial process is leaving the country in a questionable position. Is it just me or is anyone else feeling the same way?

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Panamá solicitará denominación de origen para su café

Panamá solicitará denominación de origen para su café

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez   August 11, 2010   No comments:

Los productores de café de altura de Panamá solicitarán la denominación de origen para la protección de su café. Con ello obtendrán una certificación oficial de la calidad del café que les permita comercializar mejor el producto.

La solicitud como denominación de origen tiene su origen en el compromiso adquirido por Panamá con la Unión Europea de obtener la denominación de origen en 2 meses.

La obtención de la DOP permitirá que el cafe de Panamá adquiera un mayor valor en el mercado de Europa.

Para cumplir con los requisitos de calidad que exige la obtención de la DOP, Panamá está actualmente trabajando en la puesta en funcionamiento del primer laboratorio de certificación de perfiles de origen del café así como un consejo regulador que vigilará que el café cumpla con los requisitos exigidos, entre ellos que para solicitar la DOP el tendrá que cultivarse desde mil 200 metros hacia arriba.

¿Conseguirá Panamá la denominación de origen en el tiempo ofrecido?

Written by Cristy Umaña (Magister Lvcentinvs), posted by Aurelio.

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Gestión de la DOP "Café de Colombia"

Gestión de la DOP "Café de Colombia"

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez   August 11, 2010   No comments:

CAFÉ DE COLOMBIA, fue el primer producto de éste país declarado como denominación de origen en el año 2005, de conformidad con la Decisión 486 de la Comunidad Andina de Naciones, y posteriormente pasó a ser el primer producto no europeo en obtener el reconocimiento de indicación geográfica en la Unión Europea.

En días pasados, la Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, autoridad marcaria en el país, delegó en la Federación Nacional de Cafeteros, mediante la resolución 41083 de 6 de agosto de 2010, la facultad de autorizar el uso de la mencionada denominación de origen. Esta decisión se basó en el hecho de que dicha entidad gremial cuenta con la infraestructura necesaria para conceder el uso de CAFÉ DE COLOMBIA a aquellos agricultores y empresarios que cumplan con el reglamento de uso de ésta denominación de origen.

Sin duda este es un gran avance en la explotación de ésta denominación que no solo beneficiará al país en cuanto al creciente reconocimiento de la misma a nivel mundial, sino que favorecerá los intereses del sector cafetero colombiano.

Written by Natalia Franco (Magister Lvcentinvs), posted by Aurelio.

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Ampliación de la entrada: “Chile: Ley sobre la Neutralidad de la Red”

Ampliación de la entrada: “Chile: Ley sobre la Neutralidad de la Red”

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez   August 10, 2010   No comments:

Como continuación a las entradas publicadas el pasado 15 de julio y el 4 de agosto, hemos tenido conocimiento de que la lucha por la neutralidad en la red, una campaña emprendida desde el año 2007 en Chile, finalmente encontró eco en el proyecto de ley aprobado hace pocos días por la Cámara de Diputados y que convierte a éste país en el primero en consagrar el principio de “Neutralidad en la Red ” en su legislación nacional.

La mencionada ley se encuentra encaminada a proteger al consumidor propendiendo por la mayor transparencia en la prestación de los servicios de Internet e imponiendo obligaciones estrictas para las compañías proveedoras de éstos servicios.

Con su promulgación, la ley busca evitar cualquier bloqueo, interferencia, o restricción del derecho de los usuarios a enviar, recibir u ofrecer cualquier contenido, aplicación o servicio legal a través de Internet, al tiempo que procura preservar la privacidad de los usuarios, la protección contra virus y la seguridad de la red. Así mismo, la ley establece la necesidad de la creación de un reglamento en el que se incluyan las condiciones mínimas que deberán cumplir los prestadores de servicios, quienes en todo caso se verán obligados a publicar información suficiente relacionada con las características del servicio de acceso a Internet que ofrecen.

Habrá que esperar para ver los resultados que traiga consigo la implementación de la mencionada ley para determinar si la misma se puede convertir en un ejemplo a seguir para otros países interesado en favorecer el desarrollo de la Red de una manera transparente y competitiva.

Written by Natalia Franco (Magister Lvcentinvs), posted by Aurelio

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Promotion of Intellectual Property in Brazil

Promotion of Intellectual Property in Brazil

Patricia Covarrubia   August 10, 2010   No comments:

Academia
The Federal University of Sergipe has structured a laboratory for the development and research of intellectual property. The goal is to train students in the areas of technological forecasting, innovative entrepreneurship and business intelligence.

The laboratory activities are divided into ten hours to discuss theoretical issues and twenty hours for lab’s practice. The course topics include: innovation and invention; procedure for granting patents; and competitive strategy of enterprises by means of IP, among others.

According to Professor Carlos Alberto da Silva, coordinator of the lab, 40 students were trained in the first half of 2010. For the second half, another 30 students are enrolled.

More academic circles and Agreements
The Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) and Eletrobras (Brazilian Electric Power Company) signed a technical cooperation agreement with the main objective of disseminating IP, through courses and seminars on the strategic use of IP by industry.

On August 13 there will be the first activity of the partnership, the seminar: "IP as a strategic tool for fostering innovation, dedicated to the public inside the company.

The Technical Cooperation Agreements promoted by the INPI in partnership with other institutions are the responsibility of DART (Diretoria de Articulação e Informação Tecnológica - Department of Organization and Information Technology), whose function is to promote and disseminate and train in IP. It also places the INPI in the national and the international scene.

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Peruvian Anti-Biopiracy Commission seems to work

Peruvian Anti-Biopiracy Commission seems to work

Patricia Covarrubia   August 09, 2010   No comments:

The European Patent Office rejected a request by the French multinational company Naturex to patent an alcoholic extract of maca, used in the treatment or prevention of sexual dysfunction and enhancing fertility.

Also, in 2000, Pure World Botanical Co in the US (now Naturex) applied for a patent for an alcoholic extract of maca. In 2002, INDECOPI assembled a working group consisting of public and private institutions, which concluded that the patent application should not be granted, because this use was already known and used. A year later, they presented scientific results showing lack of novelty of the application.

Ley Nº 28216 created the Anti-Biopiracy Commission which, since its creation, has been monitoring this action – Biopiracy and it has stopped eights patents overseas.

More info here and here.

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