International Trademark Association Announces Winners of the Andean Moot Court Competition

New York, New York—December 16, 2022—To support and encourage the study of intellectual property (IP) the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Court of Justice of the Andean Community (TJCA), and the Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) has concluded the second annual Andean Moot Court Competition. Conducted in Spanish, the Competition was open to undergraduate students or recent graduates of law programs at universities across Latin America. 

The winning team came from the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Sante Fe, Argentina. Valentina Franchi was the team leader and was supported by Ana Paula Arbelais and their coach, Rubén Romano. Second place was awarded to the team from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, led Santiago Pulido. A total of twenty-seven teams from nine countries participated in this year’s Competition, with sixteen teams from Argentina, Ecuador, and Colombia progressing to the final round. 

Participants, playing the role of plaintiff or defendant, were charged with the preparation, presentation, and legal defense of a fictitious case covering two common IP issues facing brand owners today: the exhaustion of rights and parallel imports. Respondents submitted written briefs that were reviewed by experts in both IP and Andean Community law, and competed in virtual oral arguments on November 28 and 30. The panel of experts evaluated the teams on their degree of knowledge on the subject, the strength of their arguments, their ability to defend the side assigned to them, facility when answering the questions posed by the judges, knowledge of the case, and oral skills. 

The jury consisted of TJCA President, Hon. Hugo R. Gomez Apec, Hon. Gustavo Garcia (Ministry, TJCA), INTA Global Advisory Council—Latin America Co-Chair Margarita Romero (Romero Corral Abogados, Ecuador), and Unreal Campaign Committee Chair Eryck Castillo (Uhthoff, Gomez Vega & Uhthoff, S.C., Mexico). “The TJCA recognizes that these types of academic activities improve the skills of the participants in the drafting of briefs and in the oral presentation of their positions, as well as promotes research and knowledge of IP and copyright among university students, subjects which correspond to an important area of the jurisprudence of the Andean Court,” said presiding judge, Hon. Hugo R. Gomez Apec.

INTA President Zeeger Vink congratulated all of the participants and, especially, the winners, noting that “[t]he preparation and skill these students brought to their presentations speaks to the future of IP law in this region and, indeed, globally. It has been an honor to collaborate again with the ASIPI and the TJCA on this initiative, doing our part in supporting the bright future of IP in Latin America.” 

Last year’s competition marked the first time that INTA conducted a competition in Spanish. It was inspired by the continued success of the Association’s Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition and Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition. 

About the International Trademark Association
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and complementary intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation, and committed to building a better society through brands. Members include nearly 6,500 organizations, representing more than 34,350 individuals (trademark owners, professionals, and academics) from 185 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Santiago, Singapore, and the Washington, D.C., Metro Area, and a representative in New Delhi. For more information, visit inta.org.

Media Contact: 
Elizabeth Bogner 
Senior Strategist, Communications 
212-642-1770 
[email protected]