INTA Delegations Promote Intellectual Property Rights and Education in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia

INTA held a series of productive meetings designed to promote intellectual property (IP) rights and strengthen ties with local and regional associations in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, during the 39th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI), which took place from August 24 to 28.

INTA Chief Executive Officer Etienne Sanz de Acedo and INTA Chief Representative Officer, Latin America and the Caribbean Office José Luis Londoño met with ABPI, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property, the Paulist Association of Intellectual Property, and the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property to support projects that will be put in place in the coming months.

While in Singapore for IP Week @ SG 2019, INTA President David Lossignol (Novartis Pharma AG, Switzerland) and Dr. ClÁudio Vilar Furtado, President of the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI), signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations.

While the above MoU signing was taking place in Singapore, Mr. Sanz de Acedo and Mr. Londoño, accompanied by INTA member Rosane Tavares (Kasznar Leonardos Intellectual Property, Brazil), visited INPI’s offices to meet with the Trademarks and Designs directors. INTA representatives acknowledged the hard work and impressive progress made by INPI in reducing application backlog and preparing INPI for the Madrid System in October. As a result of the meeting and in alignment with the MoU, trainings and workshops will be arranged to contribute to INPI’s efficiency and quality improvement goals.

INTA Presents Overview of IP Landscape at Congressional Forum in BogotÁ, Colombia

On August 15, Mr. Londoño attended a Congressional forum in BogotÁ, Colombia, titled The Law of Integration and Intellectual Property in the Andean Community. He shared with the Colombian Congress information regarding the Latin American IP climate, specifically, current legislative and regulatory initiatives in various countries, and importantly, the challenges faced by brand owners.

The event took place at Constitution Hall of the Colombian Congress, hosted by the Center for Higher Legislative Learning. INTA highlighted the positive contribution of trademark-intensive industries to the Colombian GDP, employment, salaries, and international trade. Additionally, INTA pointed out the negative impact of counterfeits and piracy on the country’s fiscal well-being. Mr. Londoño concluded his presentation by encouraging the promotion of the value of trademarks as opposed to the anti-IP sentiment that can sometimes serve as justification for brand restrictive legislation and regulations.

INTA’s Unreal Campaign Partnership with COMEDUC Continues Its Work in Chile

INTA’s Unreal Campaign, a consumer awareness initiative that educates young consumers (ages 14‒23) about the importance of trademarks and the dangers of counterfeit products, continued its mission through presentations by INTA members Ignacia Leria (Mackenna, Irarrazaval, Cuchacovich & Paz, Chile), Fernanda Higuera (Dentons, Chile), Guillermo Villarroel (Silva, Chile), Andres Melossi (Beuchat, Barros & Pfenniger, Chile), Diego Morandé (Guerrero Olivos, Chile), and Diego Acuña (Beuchat, Barros & Pfenniger, Chile). Nine presentations took place-extending the campaign’s outreach to an additional 507 students from mid-August to mid-September. Since the beginning of its partnership in Chile earlier this year, the Unreal Campaign has reached 1,550 students in 12 schools.

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.