IPTango

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

AAAML XI INTERNATIONAL COGRESS - Geographical Indications and Trademarks

Gilberto Macias (@gmaciasb) January 22, 2013 No comments:

The AAAML (@aaaml) has organized its XI International Congress to be held at Parma on 15-16 March, 2013.

The Congress will be focused on a global approach of Geographical Indications and Trademarks in the market place and the latest developments and best practices in EU, USA and China at a glance.

This Congress will provide participants with an overview of international legal framework for Geographical Indications and its relationship with the trademark system. The Congress also focus the EU GIs sui generis systems (agricultural products and foodstuffs, wine sector and spirit drinks) and relevant new Regulation on quality schemes, as well as the new examination practice of Articles 7 (1)(j) and 7 (1)(k) CTMR and the protection of GIs in the CTM system. Enforcement measures of GIs and crucial Case Law will be addressed to provide attendees valuable practical legal tools. The experience of the Groups and related Association will conclude the Congress.

The Consejo Regulador del Tequila will provide the perspective of Latin-American Geographical Indications.

The Congress includes two very interesting visits to a Parmigiano Reggiano PDO dairy and to a Prosciutto di Parma PDO producer.

Evidently this event is a must!! You cannot miss it.

Please take in account that there is an special fee until February 22, 2013. Hurry Up!!!

Complete details here

Contact: aaaml@ua.es

Brazil 2012: economic uncertainty and registration of IP

Patricia Covarrubia January 18, 2013 No comments:

Economic crisis has affected many markets worldwide, and there is of course global uncertainty. This scenario can be reflected in the numbers of application of IP in their respective offices.

In Brazil we learned that patent applications remain high – for both: foreign and domestic patent applications. The Brazilian Instituto Nacional da Propiedade Industrial (INPI) reports that the increase is of 6% compared to previous year (i.e. 2011). Moreover, it states that the “number of applications has been rising since 2010, after the fall observed between 2008 and 2009 due to the first impact of the international economic crisis. Since 2009, the cumulative increase in patent applications is nearly 30%.” INPI clarifies that several factors such as a growth in domestic innovation through research centres (attracting foreigners to the country), and companies, universities and research centres working on innovation. INPI, trying to encourage further application, especially from small and medium enterprises, is preparing to launch the e-patent system this year.

However, the case of applications has not been the same for trade marks. In 2012 INPI saw a decline in the number of applications (negative growth of 2% comparing to previous year). Yet, micro and small businesses, as well as individual entrepreneurs, increased their applications by 30%. INPI explains that the economic crisis has led many businesses “to postpone investment and thereby not launching new products and brands.”

Chile: Charging VAT to mass entertainment

Patricia Covarrubia January 10, 2013 No comments:

The Chilean Culture Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has agreed to ask the government to sponsor a bill to end the tax differences between foreign and domestic mass entertainment.

The proposition is based on the fact that this reality is based on 1974 law which sought to open the international market. According to Deputy Alfonso De Urresti “the law is simply outdated today.” Actors also addressed the Commission of Culture requesting "equal treatment" and "a stronger institutional framework that aims to protect and promote national artistic creation."

Parliamentarians do agree that national artists and creators are at a disadvantage in this area. Finally the news from the Chamber of Deputies (here) reports that the Culture Committee is to establish a “technical committee to discuss this topic, and make a commitment to hold a seminar in March, which is attended by all concerned parties.”

Uh? Are we seen an infringement of an economic right in disguise?

Genetic resources and the debate over legacy

Patricia Covarrubia January 08, 2013 1 comment:

Looking to protect and prevent the illegal use of genetic resources and also to protect traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, Chile is exploring a Bill introduced in December, 20th 2012 (Bulletin 8751) which seeks to amend the Chilean Constitution.

The Bill explains that countries like Chile which is rich in flora and fauna and moreover, rich in know-how from its peoples, has become imperative in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and biotechnology industry.

The Bill’s authors also highlight the concept of biopiracy and ask for the Chilean authorities to take a more proactive attitude. In this regards the authors claim that Chile must make his own the genetic heritage of its nation, and that it should be part of the public domain of the Chilean people. It also noted that Chilean genetic heritage should not be patented by other countries and that “any type of use that is made of this national genetic wealth should be given under the Convention on Biological Diversity”.

Source Camara de Diputados de Chile.

Chile: Seminario sobre caducidad por falta de uso de marcas

Rodrigo Ramirez Herrera @ramahr January 07, 2013 No comments:

En Chile está próximo a ser despachado el proyecto de ley por parte del Ejecutivo, que introduce modificaciones a la Ley 19.039 de Propiedad Industrial, una de las cuales es el establecimiento de la institución de la "caducidad de marcas".

Para analizar el proyecto de ley se ha organizado el seminario “Caducidad Marcaria” que busca principalmente que los asistentes conozcan el contenido de la reforma referida a la causal de extinción del derecho marcario por falta de uso del signo. El análisis será desde su procedencia constitucional, como desde una más perspectiva especifica, estudiando los cambios que se provocarán en la Ley 19.039, así como el conocer los aspectos probatorios involucrados en el no uso de la marca objeto de caducidad.

Además se analizará la normativa internacional que en su mayoría ya tiene incorporada esta institución, por lo que es muy importante que los asistentes tenga claridad respecto de cómo funciona esta causal en términos prácticos en otras legislaciones, con el fin de tener una noción más completa de la caducidad marcaria, en general, y los resultados que esta tiene en el derecho comparado.

El grupo de ponencias y expositores es el siguiente:

- “Efectos en la propiedad marcaria, constitucionalidad y derecho de propiedad”. Marcos Morales, Vicepresidente de la Asociación Chilena de la Propiedad Intelectual ACHIPI y Director de Marcas y Patentes de Alessandri & Compañía Abogados.

- “Como opera la caducidad en derecho comparado”. Marino Porzio, Director de la Asociación Chilena de Propiedad Industrial (ACHIPI) desde 1993 hasta 2005 y presidente de la misma en el período 2003-2005.

- “Pérdida de Distintividad; ¿Suficiente razón de caducidad?”. Rodrigo Cooper, profesor de Pre y Post grado de Propiedad Intelectual y Derecho Comercial de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Chile,

y de Post Grado en LLM U. de Heidelberg.

- “Visión restrictiva del derecho de registro de una marca, visión competitiva”. Alfredo Montaner, profesor de Derecho de Propiedad Intelectual e Industrial de la Universidad Finis Terrae y del Diplomado de Propiedad Intelectual de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

- “Institución de la caducidad marcaria en Mexico”. (Invitado Extranjero) Martín Michaus, abogado mexicano, ex Presidente de ASIPI.

Fecha: 8 de enero de 2013, 18.00 hrs.

Auditorio Arturo Alessandri, Facultad de Derecho Universidad de Chile
Organiza: INAPI y Centro de Estudio en Derecho Informático (CEDI) de la Universidad de Chile.

Ficha

Inscripciones, objetivos y programa

Fuente: Derechomarcario.cl

The Madrid Protocol in Latin America: Is Colombia changing business strategies or acting as a guinea pig?

Patricia Covarrubia January 07, 2013 No comments:

The most recent issue of the European Intellectual Property Review (EIPR) i.e. January, 2013 Vol 35 No 1, brings us an article which aims to “analyse the consequences of Colombia’s accession to the Madrid Protocol, a system which grants an international trade mark with the filing of one application only: the central question is whether Colombia’s accession will produce a “snowball effect” in Latin America.”

In fact, the question appears to be already answered since Mexico, as previously reported here, is now also part of this protocol.

The article's title is the heading of this post and is written by Andres Echeverri Uribe, Organizacion Corona, Bogota, and I. While the article embarks on studying the advantages and disadvantages of accession for the Colombia’s market in an era of globalization, it also explores the reality of its own small and medium enterprises (SMEs) when trade mark is at issue.

The article can be accessed through Westlaw or Lawtel.

IMPI estrena el 2013 con nuevo Director General

Gilberto Macias (@gmaciasb) January 07, 2013 No comments:

El Secretario de Economía, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, por instrucciones del Presidente de la República, Enrique Peña Nieto, dio posesión a Miguel Ángel Margáin González, como nuevo Director General del Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI).

Miguel Ángel Margáin, es Licenciado en Derecho por la UP y realizó sus estudios de Maestría en Derecho en la Universidad de Cambridge, antes de su nombreamiento fue socio del despacho Arochi, Marroquín & Lindner.

Ha sido miembro de numerosas asociaciones relacionadas con la Propiedad Industrial e Intelectual, entre ellas la Asociación Mexicana para la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (AMPPI) de la que fue presidente; la Barra Mexicana Colegio de Abogados; la Asociación Internacional de Marcas (INTA); la Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI); la European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA); la Asociación Internacional para la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (AIPPI), además de Vicepresidente y vocero del Comité de Derechos de Propiedad Intelectual de la American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham, por sus siglas en inglés).

Desde IP Tango le deseamos la mejor de las suertes a @mikemargain y al @IMPI_Mexico en sus objetivos de promover la protección y defensa de la Propiedad Intelectual.

Fuente: IMPI

Turrialba: a first for Costa Rica

Jeremy January 04, 2013 No comments:

According to the January 2013 issue of the INTA Bulletin, Costa Rica has secured its first appellation of origin protection. The object of this protections is the designation "Turrialba" for cheese. This landmark took some years to achieve, since the application process was apparently commenced as long ago as February 2008.

Turrialba is a soft white cheese which has been produced in its volcanic environment since at least 1870

Central America's trade pact with the EU: another whopper

Jeremy December 27, 2012 No comments:

On Monday, this blog reported on the publication, on the website of the European Union's Official Journal, of the EU's trade agreement with Peru and Colombia. The post commented on its vast length at 2,605 pages. Well, that massive pagination has already been exceeded. The EU's Official has now also published the full text of the Agreement establishing an Association between the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and Central America on the other -- and that's 2,618 pages long, not counting a further two and a half page Protocol on Cultural Cooperation. Again, it contains plenty of references to intellectual property rights and geographical indications.

What country is "Central America", you may be wondering. Well, it is defined for the purposes of the Agreement as the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama -- but not Belize -- and naturally not Mexico since that country migrated from Central America to North America, but that's another story.

Trade marks and due diligence in Brazil: a new article

Jeremy December 26, 2012 No comments:

The most recent issue of the Trademark Reporter (that's November-December, 2012 Vol. 102 No. 6), published by the International Trademark Associaton (INTA) for its members, contains an article of great relevance to one of Latin America's most active and vibrant economies. "Trademarks and Due Diligence for Mergers and Acquisitions in Brazil", by Paula Mena Barreto Pinheiro, addresses the most important issues involved in due diligence specifically involving trade marks, as well as certain country-specific considerations that should be taken into account whenever acquiring or merging with a company in Brazil. Given the amount of corporate and transactional activity that can be expected in Brazil in the run-up to the major international sporting events Brazil is hosting in the next few years, this article may be subjected to a good deal of attention.

Some IPTango moves

* Listed as one of the "Best blogs on Intellectual and Industrial Property Law". The University of Alicante Intellectual Property & Information Technology Project (UAIPIT).

* One of the only two Latin American blog listed in the "Top 100 Intellectual Property Blogs". Feedspot, as of May 2021.

* Listed as one of the "Top 15 Blogs For An Intellectual Property (IP) Enthusiasts". Buzzfeed.com, January 2017.

* Listed as one of the "World's Best IP Blogs". BananaIP.com, December 2015.

* IPTango founder Professor Jeremy Phillips was listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

* Listed as one of the "Influential intellectual property blawgs". A Dictionary of Intellectual Property Law, Peter Groves, 2011.

* Listed as one of the "Communities of Blawgers". Los blogs jurídicos y la web 2.0. para la difusión y la enseñanza del derecho, Gonzalo Ramírez Cleves, 2010.