INTA Delegation Meets with Authorities in Costa Rica and Ecuador

During recent meetings in Costa Rica and Ecuador, INTA representatives learned that Costa Rica will be launching a new national intellectual property (IP) strategy, and that Ecuador will be initiating a National Competitiveness strategy-and offered its support and expertise in the development of both of these plans. Etienne Sanz de Acedo, INTA Chief Executive Officer, and José Luis Londoño, INTA Chief Representative Officer, Latin America, led official delegations to the two countries from May 5 to May 9.

In Quito, Ecuador, Mr. Sanz de Acedo and Mr. Londoño held talks with a number of government officials and judicial authorities, including the Vice Minister of Industries and Productivity, Yuri Parreño Rodríguez, and authorities from the National Customs Office of Ecuador. At Ecuador’s National Service of Intellectual Rights (SENADI), INTA expressed its willingness to provide trainings and guidelines for trademark examinations.

Mr. Sanz de Acedo presented opening remarks at the 40th Anniversary of the Andean Court of Justice, after which the delegation met with Justice Hugo Ramiro Gomez Apac, President pro tempore of the Andean Court of Justice. The Andean Court is particularly notable as the third most active international court in the world-ruling on more than 600 cases in 2018 alone, 90 percent of which were IP-related.

In San Jose, Costa Rica, the INTA delegation met with the Ministry of Justice, the Administrative Tribunal of Appeals, authorities from the National Customs Office, and representatives from the Chamber of Information Technologies and Communications.

Mr. Sanz de Acedo spoke at the 5th Summit of the Latin American Alliance against Illicit Trade (ALAC) on May 8, sharing a panel with Silvia Montoya (National Association of Businessmen, Colombia), Paulo Rogerio Lino (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy, Brazil), and Edson Luiz Vismona (National Forum against Anti Ethical Competition, Brazil).

The delegation concluded its itinerary by participating in a workshop called “The Risk of Vulgarization of Trademarks,” organized by INTA’s Famous and Well-Known Marks-Latin American Subcommittee. In his opening presentation, Mr. Londoño emphasized the need to harmonize IP legislation in order to ensure consistent protection of global IP rights. Speakers at the event included INTA members Federico Berger (Ipars-Intellectual Property Consulting, Argentina) and Carolina Montero (Abril Abogados, S.L.P., Spain).

INTA Outlines Unreal Campaign Partners with COMEDUC in Chile

Agustina Davis, INTA Associate, Latin America and the Caribbean Representative Office, and Ignacia Leria (Mackenna, Irarrazaval, Cuchacovich & Paz, Chile) and Unreal Campaign Committee member, participated in a public-private roundtable in Santiago, Chile. The event, held by the Illicit Trade Observatory of the National Chamber of Commerce of Chile, took place on May 9.

The event highlighted the Observatory’s achievements in 2018, set objectives for 2019, and presented its Educational Plan. In the context of education, Ms. Davis outlined the partnership between INTA and Fundación Nacional del Comercio para la Educación (COMEDUC), in which COMEDUC has agreed to include the Unreal Campaign in its academic programming in 19 schools. Ms. Davis explained that the Unreal Campaign has already conducted programs at 11 schools in Chile, reaching more than 450 students-with plans for more programs in the near future.

In fact, as part of the collaboration, the Unreal Campaign continued its mission in June with INTA members Rodrigo Cooper (Cooper & Cia, Chile) and Virgilio Topasio and Paulina Maturana (both of Mackenna, Irarrazaval, Cuchacovich & Paz, Chile), conducting four additional Unreal Campaign presentations-extending the campaign’s outreach to an additional 200 students. Six more presentations will take place in late June and early July, conducted by Felipe Claro (Claro y Cia., Chile), Juan Enrique Puga (GP Garay Puga, Chile), and Javier Aleuanlli and Javiera Badilla (both of Alessandri, Chile).

INTA’s Latin America and the Caribbean Representative Office, based in Santiago, Chile, represents the Association’s 716 members across the region. Working in collaboration with staff at INTA’s headquarters in New York City, the Latin America and the Caribbean Representative Office leads the Association’s policy, membership, marketing, and communications initiatives throughout this region. To learn more about INTA’s activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, please contact INTA Chief Representative Officer of the Latin America and the Caribbean Office José Luis Londoño at [email protected].

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items in the INTA Bulletin, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.