IPTango

Tuesday, 29 July 2008

Peruvian Customs prepare for TPA

Jeremy July 29, 2008 No comments:

The Peruvian government has published Legislative Decree 1092/2008, which introduces border control measures for the protection of copyrights, trade mark rights and related rights. This Decree, which is part of the implementation of the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, will come into force on 1 January 2009 along with the Agreement itself. It defines pirated and counterfeit goods and makes provision for border control measures to be taken by the Peru Customs Administration against their importation -- personal belongings of travellers, inherently non-commercial imports and goods imported in very small quantities [source: José Barreda (Barreda Moller, Lima), writing in World Trademark Report].

Nuevo Centro de Patentes en México

Gilberto Macias (@gmaciasb) July 28, 2008 No comments:

Con el objetivo de fomentar la protección y registro de los inventos de los mexicanos, se ha creado un centro de patentamiento en México, concretamente dentro del Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California (CICESE). Dicho centro dependerá directamente del IMPI.

En las instalaciones de este centro se ofrece información gratuita sobre derechos de autor, patentes, marcas, diseños industriales y temas relacionados. El centro busca coadyuvar a desarrollar la cultura de la propiedad intelectual e industrial entre los empresarios, investigadores, tecnólogos y, en general, entre aquellos que tengan interés en proteger sus desarrollos e innovaciones.

Esperamos que la creación de éste tipo de centros ayude a incrementar el conocimiento y la confianza en el sistema de propiedad industrial nacional, y los inventores mexicanos no recurran, en primera instancia, a buscar su protección en el extranjero, principalmente en los EE.UU.

Procompetencia pounces on Ebel over Paris allusions

Jeremy July 28, 2008 No comments:

Procompetencia -- Venezuela's National Antitrust and Unfair Competition Agency -- ruled on 21 May 2008 that well-known cosmetics company Grupo Transbel had engaged in unfair competition by running an advertising campaign that misled consumers into believing that there was a link between all goods bearing the mark EBEL and the city of Paris, thereby unfairly benefiting from the prestige of the French cosmetics and perfume industry.

Transbel had been using images of Paris in its advertising material, on its websites and in magazines. This, said Procompetencia, was unlawful, ordering that Transbel's 'Ebel Paris' campaign should be cancelled as being misleading and deceiving advertising. Transbel, who have lodged an appeal, was also ordered to pay a fine of approximately US$2.7 million [source: Mónica Granadillo, Estudio Antequera Parilli & Rodriguez, Caracas, writing in World Trademark Report].

Argentina movie industry faces challenge ... with a challenge

Jeremy July 24, 2008 No comments:

Writing in Variety, Charles Newbery takes a look at the current state of the Argentine movie sector. Cinema attendances have fallen sharply in recent months in the wake of the economic downturn. In the first half of 2008 homegrown films grossed 5.8% of ticket sales, down from 9% in 2007 and 18% in 2000, while Hollywood held on to its 80%-85% share. But with the winter season on its way, there is some optimism that things will improve. Most keenly awaited is "High School Musical: el desafio" ('The Challenge'), a local version of Disney Channel's "High School Musical," which opened last on 150 screens. This movie is produced by Disney-backed Patagonik Film Group.

Another local movie with great marketing potential is "Valentina", distributed by Pachamama Cine. Targeted at 6-14 year old girls, "Valentina" is reported to be based on a brand of clothes, school products and toys that sells more than Hello Kitty and Barbie combined in Argentina, which bodes well for merchandising spin-offs.

Acciones contra el software ilegal en Guadalajara (México)

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez July 22, 2008 1 comment:

Nos cuenta Gilberto Macias que desde el pasado mes de junio se están fomentando diversas acciones enfocadas a combatir el uso del software ilegal en la Ciudad de Guadalajara, México. Dichas acciones son promovidas conjuntamente por el Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco, el Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) y la Business Software Alliance (BSA).

El objetivo de dicha campaña no es otro que el disminuir el uso y la venta del software “pirata”, cuya utilización es cercana al 50% en todo el Estado de Jalisco.

Ojala que este tipo de acciones sirva para que los consumidores, tanto empresas como particulares, se concienticen del valor, respeto e importancia de los derechos de propiedad industrial e intelectual. Es por todos sabido que la industria del software es una de las más golpeadas por la piratería, de ahí que el Gobierno, el IMPI y la BSA estén interesados en combatirla arduamente con este tipo de campañas.

Too much IMAGINACION? Chile Supreme Court allows opposition in full

Jeremy July 22, 2008 No comments:

In a decision of 16 April 2008 the Chilean Supreme Court rejected the application of Angel Custodio Cabrera to register the word trade mark IMAGINACION for "exhibition services for cultural and educative purposes; organization of sport competitions; conferences and congresses; education and training of medium-level technicians; teaching improvement and consultancy", all in Class 41. Correa & Correa Consultores, opposed, alleging a likelihood of confusion with their own earlier mark IMAGINACCION CORREA & CORREA CONSULTORES, for quite different services in Class 41: "organization services for cultural events provided through conventional means and through all communication channels, especially interactive communication through data, messages, text or a combination thereof, through computers, the Internet and other networks (oral and/or visual), fax and other analogue media (digital and/or satellite)".

The Industrial Property Department upheld the opposition insofar as it referred to "exhibition services for cultural and educative purposes; organization of sport competitions; conferences and congresses", but allowed registration of the mark for "education and training of medium-level technicians; teaching improvement and consultancy", holding that the services were sufficiently different from those covered by the earlier mark to avoid public confusion. After the Appeal Court for Industrial Property Matters affirmed the decision, Correa & Correa appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that, since the services covered by the later mark fell within the same class as those covered by the earlier mark, the application should be rejected in its entirety. Surprisingly the court allowed Correa & Correa's appeal and rejected the application in respect of all services covered by the application. The court held that services within the same class should not be differentiated in order to reach a decision in opposition actions, as such differentiation was not allowed by the law.

In 2005 Chilean trade mark legislation was amended to provide that trade mark applications must specify not merely the class but also the goods and services for which registration was sought; it was later provided that, in opposition proceedings, a relationship had to be established between the goods and/or services covered by the respective marks, regardless of whether they fall within the same class. This decision appears to undermine this position [source: note by Sergio Amenábar (Estudio Federico Villaseca, Santiago), writing in World Trademark Report].

Approval of Budweiser deal lies in Mexican brewer's hands

Jeremy July 21, 2008 No comments:

IP Tango received this information from Juan M. Alvarez del Castillo V. (Cervantes, Aguilar-Alvarez y Sainz, S.C.) concerning an article published last week in the Reforma (Mexico City) newspaper:

“This Monday, Anheuser Busch, producer of famous beer Budweiser, accepted an offer made by the Belgium-Brazilian company Inbev, finally acquiring it for the modest price of US$52 billion. However, Grupo Modelo (Corona) notified both parties of the reservation made in its contractual right regarding Anheuser Busch –- owner of 50.2% stock of the Mexican corporation -- to grant consent in the mega-merger operation between them. "We are confident that this agreement, governed by Mexican law, grants us the right to decide if we accept (or not) the possible acquisition of Anheuser Busch by InBev", disclosed the Mexican corporation in a news bulletin. The Executive President from InBev, Mr Carlos Brito, said that he doesn’t see a problem from Grupo Modelo for the purchase of Anheuser-Busch, but on the contrary, foresees a great alliance with the Mexican brewery.”

Propiedad Intelectual en la probable nueva Constitución de Ecuador

Alfonso Rivera Canales July 20, 2008 No comments:

La semana pasada, la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de Ecuador aprobó el texto final del proyecto de nueva Constitucion que será sometida a un referendum en el mes de septiembre de este año. La propiedad intelectual ha sido reconocida de manera expresa (al igual que en la Constitución vigente). El proyecto establece que "se reconoce a la propiedad intelectual con arreglo y en las condiciones de ley." Por lo tanto, han quedado de lado las dudas de quienes pensábamos que con este proyecto se pondría en riesgo la protección constitucional que en Ecuador existe para la propiedad intelctual.

Costa Rica signs up for Budapest Depositary Treaty

Jeremy July 20, 2008 No comments:

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced that, on 30 June 2008, Costa Rica requested accession to the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure, becoming the 69th member country.

Accession to this Treaty results from the obligations assumed by Costa Rica within the framework of the Intellectual Property chapter of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America. The Budapest Treaty allows patent applicants to comply easily with the microorganism deposit requirement established in some jurisdictions for patent applications, usually to meet the legal requirement of sufficiency of disclosure, given the practical impossibility of describing in full an invention involving a microorganism. In particular the Treaty establishes that Member Countries which allow or require the deposit of microorganisms within their patent application procedures must recognize and accept, for this purpose, the deposit made by the applicant before an International Deposit Authority (IDA) validated by WIPO. In this manner, with just one deposit before an IDA, the applicant is able to comply with the legal requirement, submitting a copy of the deposit receipt, without having to make independent deposits in each country of interest for a patent application. The Budapest Treaty will enter into force in Costa Rica on 30 September 2008.

The full text of the Treaty may be obtained by clicking here.

Text prepared by Néstor Morera Víquez

Cantautor nicaragüense lucha ante gobierno por derechos autor

Alfonso Rivera Canales July 15, 2008 No comments:

El cantante Carlos Mejía Godoy, ex militante sandinista, confirmó AP que demandará al gobierno y al Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), por la vía civil y penal, por utilizar sus obras musicales en actos políticos sin autorización. Mejía Godoy es autor del himno del FSLN y de otras canciones insignia de los guerrilleros sandinistas, como "La Consigna".
Mejía Godoy, disidente del FSLN, dijo que tanto el gobierno como el partido en el poder continúan utilizando sus canciones en actos públicos y además distribuyen entre sus simpatizantes discos compactos "piratas" con su música.
El cantautor, ganador del Festival OTI de 1979, en Madrid, mostró a los periodistas el "disco pirateado" que que distribuyen los medios de comunicación Canal 4 y Radio Ya, sandinistas.