IPTango

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Upcoming events on this week!

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo September 09, 2020 No comments:

WHAT’S GOING ON THIS WEEK?

On 9 September 2020, the webinar The future of intellectual property in the age of hybrid technologies (in Spanish) will be streamed on Facebook. The event is part of the Permanent Seminar on Intellectual Property 2020-2 (SEPEPI) which is organized by the Legal Research Institute (IIJ) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The speaker is Professor Manuel Desantes (University of Alicante).

On the same day, the webinar The importance of intangible assets (in Spanish) will take place. The event is organized by the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI). The speakers are Melissa Barriga Castañeda, María Esther García Álvarez, and Alan Guevara Morales. Carolina Ponce will moderate the session.

The webinar Industrial Designs for Brazilian Users and Stakeholders (in English and Portuguese) will be streamed on YouTube also on 9 September 2020. The event is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI Brazil) and the Brazilian Association of Industrial Property Agents (ABAPI). The panellists are Jessamyn Honculada (WIPO), Max Germeil (WIPO) and Eduardo Rodrigues Rio (INPI Brazil). Ricardo Pinho will moderate the session.

Meanwhile, the Ibero-American Federation of Law and Information Technology Associations (FIADI) is organizing the webinar Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Law (in Spanish) also on 9 September 2020. The speakers are Luis Raúl Rodríguez Oconitrillo, Humberto Martín Ruani, Edda Karen Céspedes Babilón and José Vega Gallardo. Register here.

The EPIP2020 Online Conference will take place from 9 to 11 September 2020. The event is organized by the European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP). The program will cover artificial intelligence, data privacy, platform regulations, the EU Digital Single Market, trade secrets, overlapping trademarks and other IPRs, as well as COVID-19 and IP. Some speakers are Marco Alemán (WIPO), Carsten Fink (WIPO), Marcus Höpperger (WIPO), Yann Ménière (EPO), Nathan Wajsman (EUIPO), Andrew Toole (USPTO), Christophe Geiger (University of Strasbourg), Daniel Gervais (Vanderbilt University), Eleonora Rosati (University of Stockholm), Nicola Searle (University of London), Irene Calboli (Texas A&M University), Estelle Derclaye (University of Nottingham), Natali Helberger (University of Amsterdam), and Lisa Ouellette (Stanford Law School).

On 10 September 2020, the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI) will hold the webinar Women and video games: How to balance the game? (in Spanish). The speakers are Blanca Estela López Pérez (UAM-A), Diana Rodríguez Aparicio (Women in Gamex) and Dany Kino (TV UNAM). Salvador Camacho will moderate the session.

The Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) is organizing the webinar Restriction measures to the use of trademarks (in English and Spanish) also on 10 September 2020. The speakers are Ron Cregan (UK), Antonella Salgueiro (Paraguay) and Luis Diez Canseco (Peru). María Rosa Fabara will moderate the session.

On 11 September 2020, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering the webinar E-commerce and Intellectual Property for Indigenous Peoples and Local Community Entrepreneurs. The speakers are Juan Hoyos (ITC), Lucille Anak Awen Jon (Malaysia), Solveig Ballo (Norway), and Gabriele Gagliani (Bocconi University). Rebecka Forsgren (WIPO Indigenous Fellow) will moderate the session.

Last but not least, IP Time will hold the webinar Web-users as creators. Legal aspects from a copyright perspective (in Spanish) also on 11 September 2020. The speaker is Pablo Solines Moreno (Ecuador).

PAST EVENTS

Did you miss some events held the last week? The following are still available on-demand:

31 August - 3 September. Online Seminar on the Analysis of the Amendments to Intellectual Property in Mexico (in Spanish), organized by the Seminar of Patents, Trademarks and Copyright of the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Some speakers: Geidy Lung (WIPO), Carmen Arteaga (UNAM), Hugo Contreras Lamadrid (INDAUTOR), Kiyoshi Tsuru, José Luis Caballero, Martín Michaus, Mauricio Jalife, Fernando Becerril, Bernardo Herrerías, and Gastón Esquivel. Watch the panel I here; panel II and III here and here; panel IV and V here; panel VI and VII here.
1 September. Webinar: Medical Technology and Application of Artificial Intelligence: Overview and Regulatory Framework (in Portuguese), organized by the Paulista Association of Intellectual Property (ASPI). Speakers: Patrícia Peck Pinheiro, Elza Durham and Gilberto Takata. Moderators: Gil Meizler and Eliane Beltrame.
2 September. Webinar: Financing Tools for Health Innovation (in English and Spanish), organized by the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance). Speakers: María Apólito (Argentina), Juan Manuel Giner González (Argentina) and Carmelo M. Gordian (United States of America).
2 September. Webinar: The Innovation System of Paraná (in Portuguese), organized by the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). Opening speakers: Maria Inez Araujo de Abreu (CESA) and Juliana L.B. Viegas (USP). Panellists: Aldo Nelson Bona (SETI) and José Maurino de Oliveira Martins (SEPARTEC). Moderator: Claudia Crisostimo.
2 September. The opening lecture of the Course: Strategic management of trademarks portfolio (in Portuguese), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). The theme of the opening lecture was the International Trademark System. Speakers: José Graça Aranha (WIPO), Kone Cesário (UFRJ) and Luciany Pelisson Creado Becker (OAB PR).
3 September. Webinar: Online dispute resolution for IP issues (in Spanish), organized by the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI). Speakers: Leandro Toscano (WIPO), Paul Corral (Catholic University of Ecuador) and Javier Fernández-Lasquetty. Moderator: Mary Fernández Rodríguez.
3 September. Webinar: Anti-discrimination compliance in the fashion industry - measures and clauses for adequacy (in Portuguese), organized by the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI) and OAB Rio de Janeiro (the Order of Attorneys of Brazil). Speakers: Humberto Adami (OAB), Fabricio Oliveira (UFF) and Ana Paula de Paula (CDMD). Moderators: Deborah Portillo (CDMD) and Renata Lisboa (CDMD).
4 September. Webinar: General principles applicable to Copyright contracts* (in Spanish), organized by IP Time. Speaker: Professor Delia Lipszyc.

* The webinar details were added to the page “Events” on the IPTango website after the weekly article was published.

If you have a craving for more, review the full list of events here!

Credit: the picture is courtesy of Riana Harvey. IPTango would like to express our gratitude to Riana for designing the image!

Brazil: new patent priority examination

Patricia Covarrubia September 08, 2020 No comments:

Starting this September 2020, the Instituto Nacional da Propriedad Industrial (INPI) adds to its lists of patent priority examination, TWO more. They are technology applications resulting from public funding and technology applications already available on the market.

INPI already has available 14 types of priority applications, that is, procedures in place. With the two new additions, INPI has ‘16 types of priority procedure available, 14 for the general public and two for public entities’. INPI notes that the period for decisions of priority examination, counted from the application date, was done in 13.1 months (July 2020).

The move to prioritize these two was based on the following:

Application with technology resulting from public funding: to ‘speed up the development of new technologies, given that investments in innovation impose high risks and uncertainties for the viability of new projects.’ INPI notes that ‘public funding agencies have been important drivers of innovation.’
Applications with technology already available on the market: to ‘promote an increase in legal certainty, with a consequent improvement in the business environment in Brazil.’ INPI notes that it is ‘possible to request the prioritization of the exam by third parties interested in the technology, also stimulating the innovative process.’

Source INPI.

UTP y ASIPI: Segunda Edición del Moot Court de Propiedad Intelectual

IPTango September 07, 2020 No comments:

La Universidad Tecnológica del Perú (UTP) y la Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI) publicaron la convocatoria de la segunda edición del Moot Court de Propiedad Intelectual.

Los equipos deberán integrarse por 2 a 6 participantes mayores de 18 años, que sean alumnos de pregrado o hayan egresado hace un año (como máximo).

El premio para el primer lugar consiste en sesiones de mentoría y US$2,000. Mientras que el segundo lugar obtendrá sesiones de mentoría.

La fecha límite para inscribirse es el 5 de octubre de 2020.

Más información aquí.

Imagen de succo en Pixabay.

WIPO GREEN: Call for nominations of young researchers and entrepreneurs

IPTango September 06, 2020 No comments:

WIPO GREEN launched the Young and Green initiative on the International Youth Day 2020 (12 August 2020).

As part of this new initiative, WIPO GREEN is encouraging its partners and stakeholders to nominate “young researchers and entrepreneurs in green technology”.

The selected candidates will be featured on the WIPO GREEN website.

Nominations must be submitted here by 10 September 2020.

More information here (at the bottom: Join the Initiative).

Image of OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay.

El Índice Mundial de Innovación de 2020: Latinoamérica y el Caribe

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo September 02, 2020 No comments:

La 13ª edición del Índice Mundial de Innovación (GII, por sus siglas en inglés) fue publicada hoy. El documento es una publicación conjunta de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI), la Universidad Cornell y la INSEAD.

La Confederación Nacional de la Industria (CNI) de Brasil, la empresa 3DEXPERIENCE (Dassault Systèmes), y la Confederación de la Industria India (CII) colaboraron como socios especializados “apoyando la elaboración” del GII.

La publicación “es fundamentalmente una clasificación de las capacidades y los resultados en el ámbito de la innovación en las economías de todo el mundo”.

El tema del Índice Mundial de Innovación de 2020 es ¿Quién financiará la innovación?, el cual resulta de suma importancia y pertinencia a la luz de la pandemia COVID-19.

La OMPI compartió algunas conclusiones en el comunicado de prensa publicado hoy:

“La crisis derivada de la COVID-19 ha afectado al panorama de la innovación en un momento en que esta prosperaba.
[E]l dinero para financiar los proyectos innovadores se está agotando. Las iniciativas de capital riesgo están disminuyendo drásticamente en América del Norte, Asia y Europa.
La repercusión de esta falta de financiación de la innovación será desigual, y los efectos negativos se dejarán sentir con mayor fuerza en las primeras etapas de las iniciativas de capital riesgo, en las empresas emergentes con un alto grado de I+D y en los países que no suelen ser focos de atracción del capital riesgo.
La crisis derivada de la COVID-19 ya ha impulsado la innovación en numerosos sectores, nuevos y tradicionales, como la salud, la educación, el turismo y el comercio minorista.”

Suiza, Suecia, Estados Unidos de América, Reino Unido y Países Bajos encabezan los primeros lugares del Índice Mundial de Innovación de 2020.

Los líderes regionales en innovación en Latinoamérica y el Caribe son Chile (lugar 54 del GII), México (lugar 55 del GII) y Costa Rica (lugar 56 del GII).

Los resultados contenidos en el estudio también pueden consultarse por cada país de América Latina y el Caribe:

Chile (Lugar del GII: 54)
México (Lugar del GII: 55)
Costa Rica (Lugar del GII: 56)
Brasil (Lugar del GII: 62)
Colombia (Lugar del GII: 68)
Uruguay (Lugar del GII: 69)
Jamaica (Lugar del GII: 72)
Panamá (Lugar del GII: 73)
Perú (Lugar del GII: 76)
Argentina (Lugar del GII: 80)
República Dominicana (Lugar del GII: 90)
El Salvador (Lugar del GII: 92)
Paraguay (Lugar del GII: 97)
Trinidad y Tobago (Lugar del GII: 98)
Ecuador (Lugar del GII: 99)
Honduras (Lugar del GII: 103)
Bolivia (Lugar del GII: 105)
Guatemala (Lugar del GII: 106)

El estudio reveló que Brasil, México y Argentina son “sede de empresas multinacionales que invierten en I+D y se encuentran entre las diez principales economías de ingresos medios en cuanto a la calidad de la innovación”.

En cuanto al indicador 7.1.2 respecto al valor de las marcas a nivel mundial, los líderes regionales son México (lugar 30), Chile (lugar 37), Colombia (lugar 40), Brasil (lugar 43) y Argentina (lugar 57).

Mientras que Chile (lugar 38), Uruguay (lugar 49) y Brasil (lugar 50) destacan por la producción de alto nivel de artículos científicos y técnicos (indicador 6.1.4).

Revisa aquí el Índice Mundial de Innovación 2020 (GII) y aquí el ranking completo de todas las regiones a nivel mundial (en inglés).

Mira aquí el video de la OMPI sobre los aspectos destacados del GII (en inglés).

Lee aquí mi reporte en inglés del GII de todas las regiones a nivel mundial, publicado en el blog The IPKat.

Fuentes:

Comunicado de prensa publicado por la OMPI.

Universidad Cornell, INSEAD y la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (2020). The Global Innovation Index 2020: Who Will Finance Innovation? Ithaca, Fontainebleau, y Ginebra.

Crédito: imagen de Garik Barseghyan en Pixabay.

Upcoming events on this week!

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo August 31, 2020 No comments:

WHAT’S GOING ON THIS WEEK?

The Online Seminar on the Analysis of the Amendments to Intellectual Property in Mexico (in Spanish) will be streamed on Facebook from 31 August to 3 September 2020. The event is organized by the Seminar of Patents, Trademarks and Copyright of the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The speakers are Geidy Lung (WIPO), Carmen Arteaga (UNAM), Reynaldo Urtiaga Escobar (UNAM), Hugo Contreras Lamadrid (INDAUTOR), Kiyoshi Tsuru, José Luis Caballero, Fernando Becerril, Bernardo Herrerías, Martín Michaus, Mauricio Jalife, José Juan Méndez, and Gastón Esquivel Santos. The moderators are Carmen Arteaga, Ana Betancourt, and Jorge Mier y Concha Segura. Review here the program.

On 1 September 2020, the webinar Medical Technology and Application of Artificial Intelligence: Overview and Regulatory Framework (in Portuguese) will be streamed on YouTube. The event is organized by the Paulista Association of Intellectual Property (ASPI). The speakers are Patrícia Peck Pinheiro, Elza Durham and Gilberto Takata. The moderators are Gil Meizler and Eliane Beltrame.

On the same day, the Venezuelan Institute of Industrial Property Agents (COVAPI) will hold the webinar The Right to Petition in light of Industrial Property and its protection under the Contentious Administrative procedure (in Spanish). The speakers are Luis G. Arévalo, José G. Torrealba and Joaquín Núñez. Ana E. Hernández will moderate the session. Register here.

The Workshop on Intellectual Property for Media Professionals will take place from 1 to 3 September 2020. The workshop is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI Brazil), the Science and Technology Park of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (TECNOPUC), and the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI). Some speakers are Marcelo Chimento (INPI Brazil), Aline Iramina (SDAPI) and Gustavo Martins de Almeida. Review here the program.

On 2 September 2020, the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI) is organizing the webinar The Innovation System of Paraná (in Portuguese). The opening speakers are Maria Inez Araujo de Abreu (CESA) and Juliana L.B. Viegas (USP). The panellists are Aldo Nelson Bona (SETI) and José Maurino de Oliveira Martins (SEPARTEC). Claudia Crisostimo will moderate the session.

The webinar Financing Tools for Health Innovation (in Spanish) will also be held on 2 September 2020. The event is organized by the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance). The speakers are María Apólito (Argentina), Juan Manuel Giner González (Argentina) and Carmelo M. Gordian (United States of America). Register here.

Meanwhile, the Opening lecture of the Course Strategic management of trademarks portfolio will also take place on 2 September 2020. The course is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). The theme of the opening lecture is the International Trademark System. The speakers are José Graça Aranha (WIPO), Kone Cesário (UFRJ) and Luciany Pelisson Creado Becker (OAB PR). Register here free of charge for attending the opening lecture.

On the same day, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering the webinar Introduction to the Madrid Application Assistant. The webinar will provide an overview of the new WIPO tool which “is an electronic version of the official MM2” and imports the required information “directly from the Office of origin’s national/regional trademarks database”.

On 3 September 2020, the following events are scheduled:

Webinar: How to use WIPO PROOF, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The webinar will include a Q&A session.
Webinar: Online dispute resolution for IP issues (in Spanish), organized by the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI). Speakers: Leandro Toscano (WIPO), Paul Corral (Catholic University of Ecuador) and Javier Fernández-Lasquetty. Moderator: Mary Fernández Rodríguez.
Seminar: Theory of Intellectual Property (in Spanish), organized by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). The seminar starts on 3 September 2020 and will last four months. More information here.
Webinar: Anti-discrimination compliance in the fashion industry - measures and clauses for adequacy (in Portuguese), organized by the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI) and OAB Rio de Janeiro (the Order of Attorneys of Brazil). Speakers: Humberto Adami (OAB), Fabricio Oliveira (UFF) and Ana Paula de Paula (CDMD). Moderators: Deborah Portillo (CDMD) and Renata Lisboa (CDMD).

Last but not least, the International Seminar: Copyright from a 20/20 perspective will take place on 3 and 4 September 2020. The seminar is organized by the Colombian Center for Copyright (CECOLDA), the National Directorate of Copyright of Colombia (DNDA), the Colombian Center of Reprographic Rights (CDR) and the University of La Sabana. Some speakers are Carolina Romero (DNDA), Rafael Fariñas (CISAC), Natalia Gómez (CDR), Geidy Lung (WIPO), Facundo Recondo (AT&T), Gerardo Muñóz de Cote (Netflix), Horacio Gutiérrez (Spotify), María Strong (US Copyright Office), and Gustavo Schötz (Austral University). The program is available here.

PAST EVENTS

Did you miss some events held the last week? The following are still available on-demand:

24 - 27 August. XXXIV Annual Conference on Industrial Property (in Spanish), organized by the Argentine Association of Industrial Property Agents (AAAPI). The sessions are available for those who registered to attend the conference.
25 August. Webinar: Artificial Intelligence: Big Controversies (in Portuguese), organized by the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI).
26 August. Webinar: Relevant topics regarding the new legislation on copyright (in Spanish), organized by the Permanent Seminar on Intellectual Property 2020-2 (SEPEPI) of the Legal Research Institute (IIJ) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
27 August. Webinar: Blockchain: From Emerging Technology to Industrial Revolution (in Spanish), organized by the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI).
27 August. Webinar: WIPO Treaties and Copyright Law in Brazil: Challenges (in Portuguese and Spanish), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI).
27 August. Webinar on the protection of traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples from an intellectual property perspective* (in Spanish), organized by the National Directorate of Intellectual Property of Paraguay (DINAPI).

* The webinar details were added to the page “Events” on the IPTango website after the weekly article was published.

If you have a craving for more, review the full list of events here!

Credit: the picture is courtesy of Riana Harvey. IPTango would like to express our gratitude to Riana for designing the picture!

WIPO Academy DL Courses: the deadline is approaching!

IPTango August 31, 2020 No comments:

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering the following advanced courses as part of the Distance Learning (DL) Program:

Copyright and Related Rights (DL-201)
Intellectual Property, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions (DL-203)
Patents (DL-301)
Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (DL-302)
Arbitration and Mediation Procedure under the WIPO Rules (DL-317)
Patent Information Search (DL-318)
Basics of Patent Drafting (DL-320)
Intellectual Property Management (DL-450)
Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights for Legal Practitioners (DL-501)
Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights for Rights Holders (DL-502)
Software Licensing Including Open Source (DL-511)
Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation – WHO, WIPO, WTO Executive Course on the intersections between public health, intellectual property and trade (DL701)

The courses are available in different languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

The deadline for registration is 10 September 2020, except for the DL701 course which is 4 October 2020.

More information here: click on “Course Catalog” and then select the language.

Image of LEEROY Agency on Pixabay.

ASIPI launches the interactive map of AOs, GIs, collective and certification marks

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo August 30, 2020 No comments:

The Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) launched the interactive map of appellations of origin (AOs), geographical indications (GIs), collective and certification marks of the Americas.

The Committee of Geographical Indications of ASIPI carried out the project which aims “to provide a tool that, in addition to being a source of consultation, would allow interaction for feedback and permanent updating”.

The interactive map allows to sort per country, and it is available in Spanish and English. A brief description of the GIs, AOs or marks is displayed when they are selected, and the relevant regions are highlighted on the map.

So far, the AOs, GIs, collective and certification marks* of the following countries are available on the map:

Argentina
Belize*
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile*
Colombia,
Costa Rica*
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
Puerto Rico
The United States*
Venezuela

ASIPI encourages to submit here and here any updates or additional information concerning the map.

Image of Arek Socha on Pixabay.

Upcoming events on this week!

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo August 25, 2020 No comments:

WHAT’S GOING ON THIS WEEK?

On 25 August 2020, the webinar Artificial Intelligence: Big Controversies (in Portuguese) will take place. The event is organized by the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). The speakers are Caroline Tauk and Eduardo Magrani. Register here.

The webinar Relevant topics regarding the new legislation on copyright (in Spanish) was rescheduled so that it will be held on 26 August 2020. The event is part of the Permanent Seminar on Intellectual Property 2020-2 (SEPEPI) which is organized by the Legal Research Institute (IIJ) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The speaker is Hugo Contreras Lamadrid, Director General of the National Institute of Copyright (INDAUTOR). The webinar will be streamed on Facebook.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering the webinar Deep Dive: exploring Madrid Monitor also on 26 August 2020. Some “tips on how to make the most of Madrid Monitor’s features and benefits” will be provided. The speaker is Olivier Pierre.

On 27 August 2020, the following webinars are scheduled:

What is the scenario of Trade Secrets under the new Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property? (in Spanish), organized by the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI). Speakers: Mauricio Jalife, Héctor Chagoya, Enrique Alcázar and Abraham Díaz. Moderator: Israel Jiménez.

How to use WIPO PROOF, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The webinar will include a demo and a Q&A session.

Blockchain: From Emerging Technology to Industrial Revolution (in Spanish), organized by the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI). Speakers: Jorge Ramírez and Héctor Chagoya. Moderator: Fernando Becerril.

WIPO Treaties and Copyright Law in Brazil: Challenges, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). Opening speakers: Gabriel Leonardos (ABPI), José Graça Aranha (WIPO), Gláucia Tamayo Hassler Sugai (SDAPI). Panellists: Thiago Maciel Costa Oliveira (SDAPI) and Geidy Lung (WIPO). Moderator: Cláudio Lins de Vasconcelos (ABPI).

On 28 August 2020, the International Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (ICC Mexico) will hold the webinar Amendments to the Federal Copyright Law. The speakers are Oscar Estrada Chavez (Federal Court, IP Specialised Bench) and Hugo Contreras Lamadrid (INDAUTOR).

On the same day, the forum Collective marks, certification marks and appellations of origin will take place. The event is organized by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce of Colombia (SIC Colombia). Register here.

On 30 August 2020, the Foundation for Research on Law and Business (FIDE, acronym in Spanish) is organizing the panel The three main social, legal and economic models of AI: is there room for marriage?. The panel is part of the 24th edition of the European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI), organized by CiTIUS (the Research Centre in Information Technology of the Singular Research Centres Network of the University of Santiago de Compostela). The speakers are Margaret Chen, Cornelia Kutterer and Nuria Oliver. The moderator is Professor Laurent Manderieux. The panel director is Professor Manuel Desantes. Register here.

The following events already started but will continue this week:

24 - 26 August. Webinar: Introduction to Intellectual Property (in Spanish), organized by the National Service of Intellectual Rights (SENADI Ecuador) and National Institute of Biodiversity (INABIO). Speakers: Paulina Mosquera, Fernado Nogales, Andrea Mena and Elizabeth Ribadeneira.
24 - 27 August. XXXIV Annual Conference on Industrial Property (in Spanish), organized by the Argentine Association of Industrial Property Agents (AAAPI). Some speakers: Alejandro Breuer Moreno, Hernán Cabaleiro Rigamonti, Martín Bensadon, Martín Re, Gustavo Giay, Matías Ghidini, and Ricardo M. Gordó Llobell. Some moderators: Graciela Pérez de Inzaurraga, Gastón Richelet, and Juan Berton Moreno.

PAST EVENTS

Did you miss some events held the last week? The following are still available on-demand:

17 - 21 August. Watch here the opening* of the National Patent Drafting Workshop (in Spanish), organized the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). Opening speakers: Juan Lozano (IMPI), Marco Alemán (WIPO) and Ernesto Acevedo Fernández (Ministry of Economy).

18 August. Webinar: Non-traditional, collective and certification marks* (in Spanish), organized by the Venezuelan Institute of Industrial Property Agents (COVAPI). Speakers: Luis A. Henriquez and Juan L. Astudillo. Moderator: Ricardo Rojas.

19 August. Webinar: Judging Intellectual Property - Interactions between Justice, Copyright and Industrial Property (in Portuguese), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Brazilian Association of Industrial Property Agents (ABAPI), the National Justice Council of Brazil (CNJ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. Speakers: Marcia Maria N. de Barros (Federal Regional Court of Rio de Janeiro), José Carlos Costa Netto (Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo) and Richard Pae Kim (CNJ). Moderators: Marcelo Goyanes (ABAPI) and Heitor Figueiredo Sobral Torres (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

20 August. Webinar: The new route of our Tequila, our Coffee, our Rum: a commercial perspective (in Spanish), organized by the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI). Speakers: Ramón González Figueroa (CRT - Tequila Regulatory Council), Paola Romero (FNC - Colombian Coffee Growers Federation), María Mercedes Sánchez (ANFAL - National Association of Alcohol and Spirits Manufacturers, Guatemalan Rum) and María José Sánchez (FNC). Moderator: Jorge Chávarro.

* It took place before the weekly article was published. The details were available on the page “Events” on the IPTango website.

If you have a craving for more, review the full list of events here!

Image of Becca Clak on Pixabay.

[Interview] How does Mercado Libre deal with online IP infringements?

Verónica Rodríguez Arguijo August 21, 2020 No comments:

IPTango was pleased to interview Juan Cichero, Head of Brand Protection at Mercado Libre (MELI).

Juan conversed about the Brand Protection Program (including the machine learning technologies used to detect infringing ads), the agreements signed with some organizations and whether there is an increase in the number of complaints filed to report IPR infringements in light of the pandemic.

1. Recently, Mercado Libre released the report "E-commerce: consumer habits evolution, in times of COVID-19". According to the stats, there was significant growth in online shopping, which had an impact on the number of new and recovered buyers. In this sense, is there a similar increase in the number of complaints filed to report IPR infringements?

No, we have not seen a substantial growth concerning the number of complaints submitted since the pandemic started.

2. Would you please share some stats regarding the most frequent complaints submitted concerning countries, categories of products and infringement types?

The most frequent infringement types are copyright and trademark infringements, specifically counterfeit and piracy. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are the three markets in the region with more complaints filed. Finally, the categories of products most affected are consumer electronics, apparel, footwear, and cosmetics.

3. The IPPP (Intellectual Property Protection Program) was renewed last year. How would you summarize the new features of the Brand Protection Program (BPP)?

Indeed. At the end of 2019, we re-launched our program, including a rebranding from IPPP to BPP (Brand Protection Program), aiming at being closer to brand owners.

Mercado Libre's BPP main features are the following:

The reporting tool is available in the 18 countries in which Mercado Libre operates.
One single account to monitor and report allegedly infringing listings.
Free of charge.
Allow members to enroll and protect their full IP portfolio, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, industrial models, and designs.
Notice & Takedown procedure with a counter-notice process after which the member decides whether to accept or not the response of the seller.
Real-time search in all our sites and the possibility to submit reports massively, with just a few clicks.
Special filters and the possibility to search through various criteria that make the reporting experience easier and more efficient.
Sellers audit to differentiate trustworthy and suspicious sellers.
Create and share customized reports.
Case management (counter-notice process) to track seller's responses.
Several profiles in the same account.
Available in 3 languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Additionally, we launched a new landing page for the BPP in which IPRs owners can find information concerning the benefits of the program and the enforcement tool, how to enroll in the program, our terms and conditions, a Q&A session and finally, a direct link to access the reporting tool. The landing page also is available in the three languages.

4. Would you please tell us about the resources used by Mercado Libre to detect IP infringements?

Fighting against counterfeit and piracy entails investing more on human and technological resources. In this sense, MELI currently has a team made up of 9 (nine) different areas working together towards this goal. Furthermore, we constantly invest in new machine learning technologies and methodologies to detect potential infringing ads.

Therefore, in addition to the reporting tool, -and with the help of sophisticated machine learning models-, MELI has recently developed proactive measures in order to improve the detection methods of allegedly infringing listings, that learn from reports made by IP owners through the BPP and remove similar listings that the brand owner may not have detected. Once we identify another listing containing the same infringement detected by the brand owner, it is automatically removed from our platform.

5. Would you please provide a brief overview of the notice and takedown procedure carried out through the BPP?

The Notice and Takedown procedure through the BPP can be summarized in the following steps:

The member of the BPP searches for allegedly infringing listings by using the search engine of the reporting tool.
The member marks the listing(s) as suspicious and selects the type of infringement (i.e. counterfeit, trademark infringement, copyright, etc.) and submits the report.
The allegedly infringing listing is paused (not available in the platform).
The seller receives the member's report with instructions on how to reply to the claim. The seller has 4 four days to submit their counter-notice. If he/she fails to respond within those four days, the listing is automatically permanently removed.
If the seller replies within those four days (can include pictures of the product, invoices, receipts, or any other documentation), the member has four days to either confirm or dismiss the claim:

If the member accepts the arguments of the seller (or fails to reply within those four days), the claim is dismissed, and the listing is reinstated.
If the member does not accept the documentation or the arguments submitted by the seller, the listing is permanently removed from the marketplace, and the seller is analyzed by Mercado Libre to determine whether a measure should be applied.

6. What are the consequences of placing infringing listings?

For each successful report or proactive detection, the system triggers a behaviour seller analysis to determine whether a measure to the seller applies or not. The measures could be a warning notice, a temporary suspension of the account and finally, the permanent shutdown of the account from the marketplace.

We focus our efforts in analyzing the most descriptive variables of sellers, that can correlate with the chance of selling counterfeit items. Once we detect a suspicious seller, various ratios are calculated so we can ban them. Furthermore, we ban all the rest of the duplicate accounts that they might have. After that, we make our re-registration process harder for all those sellers who have strong relations with those accounts that had been banned before.

7. How would you describe the collaboration between Mercado Libre and brand owners in light of the BPP's goals?

One of the main goals of the BPP is to foster collaboration and partnership with brand owners. We are working very closely with brand owners by providing them with enforcement tools to make sure their IP rights are protected from bad actors.

In many cases, brand owners also give training to our internal teams to learn more about their products to be vigilant about the presence of allegedly infringing listings in our marketplace. We also provide members with a direct channel of communication with our support team to make sure their claims or concerns are duly solved. For new members, we also offer personalized support during the enrollment process, and we provide them with a walkthrough so they can learn about the main features of the reporting tool.

So far, the feedback has been very positive, and we are constantly receiving new enrollment requests. It is important to stress that any IP owner (or their representative) can enroll in our BPP by filling a simple enrollment form and submitting the necessary documents (such as trademark registration certificates) based on the member's needs.

8. Recently, Mercado Libre signed an agreement with INDECOPI for the protection of IPRs in the digital environment, would you please tell us a little about the MoU?

Indeed. We have recently signed a cooperation agreement with INDECOPI for the protection of the IPRs owned by the Peruvian State and the rights of any IP owner registered before INDECOPI. We have provided INDECOPI with our monitoring and reporting tool, but unfortunately, due to the current situation of COVID-19 lockdown, some aspects of the joined efforts had to be delayed. However, we trust that with the normalization of the INDECOPI procedures, the enforcement will resume. Currently, other cooperation agreements are under negotiation.

9. Are there similar agreements signed by Mercado Libre with other IP Offices or organizations for the protection of IPRs?

We have signed collaboration agreements with different authorities, chambers, and associations from all over the region, focusing on health, tax, environmental and intellectual property matters. Regarding IPRs, and in addition to the agreement with INDECOPI, we have signed agreements with other stakeholders such as the Argentinian Book Chamber (CAL), the Colombian Book Chamber, the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF), the Brazilian Film Agency (ANCINE-Brazil) and National Association of Uruguayan Broadcasters (ANDEBU-Uruguay). Currently, other agreements are under negotiation.

10. What are the next steps Mercado Libre will take to cope with online IPRs infringements?

At Mercado Libre, we are in constant evolution, and the BPP is not the exception. In this sense, and thanks to the feedback received from our members, we are continuously introducing enhancements to our online reporting tool to ensure the best experience to our members when monitoring and reporting allegedly infringing listings. Additionally, we continue working on our proactive measures to ensure we combine both efforts to keep the marketplace free of counterfeit and pirated goods.

We encourage all brand owners who would like to protect their IP assets, to join us by enrolling in our Brand Protection Program at www.brandprotectionprogram.com and help us make the marketplace a safer place for their consumers.

IPTango would like to express our gratitude to Juan Cichero, Head of Brand Protection at Mercado Libre, for the interview.

Credit: the image is courtesy of Mercado Libre.