Students from Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra of Boliva Win First Place in the Latin American Moot Court Competition on Intellectual Property

New York, New York—November 24, 2024—The International Trademark Association (INTA) is pleased to announce that students from Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra of Bolivia won first place in the fourth annual of the Latin American Moot Court Competition on Intellectual Property Law. This event is co-organized by the Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina (TJCA), la Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI), and INTA.

The winning team comprised seven law students: María Victoria Moreno S., Rania Daza B María Silvana Alegría A., María José Bejarano de Oliveira, Paola Tufiño P., Iván Campos M., and Layla Khashashneh, under the guidance of professors Estefani Cabrera R. and Jorge Guerra P. The team dedicated more than 100 hours of preparation over five months, from initial application through the final rounds.

“It was an arduous preparation: it involved reading, studying and researching a lot, sacrificing hours of rest and getting permission both from our jobs and from the University to prepare and practice our participation in this academic initiative,” said team members Mr. Campos, Ms. Daza, and Ms. Moreno. They went on to say, “While we’ve been interested in IP since our first year, experiencing it in practice has been transformative. This competition has shown us how theoretical knowledge translates into real-world litigation.”

The second-place team from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAC) included Daniel Ramírez B., Laura Guerrero B., Juan Carlos Pasachova R., Juliana Rojas L., Juan David Cardona G., Juan Alejandro Morales V., Nicolás Galindo B., and Juan Pablo Ariza A., coached by Oscar Lizarazo and Germán Florez A. Nicolás Galindo from UNAC was named Best Speaker, while team 82 from Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Peru won the written phase of the competition.

This year’s competition achieved record participation with 325 students and recent graduates forming 62 teams from 50 universities across 14 Latin American jurisdictions: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

Twenty-two INTA members participated as jurors in the evaluation process, while the judges at the final hearing included; Hugo R. Gómez Apac from the Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina (TJCA); Luis Henriquez, president of the Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI), and Etienne Sanz de Acedo, CEO of INTA.

“We had a record participation both in terms of students and regional scope, and we aspire for this to grow and expand to Ibero-America, so that young people can learn, deepen, and apply their knowledge in this important branch of law, which is the basis for inclusive growth, the development of knowledge, innovation, and creation, where people are at the center of our concern,” said Mr. Sanz de Acedo.

Mario Santos from the Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina (TJCA) noted, “The Latin American Moot Court on Intellectual Property Law is an invaluable learning and academic training tool for students and graduates in the areas of intellectual property and Andean Community law. This year, we had a large number of participants from various Latin American countries, allowing for the exchange of ideas and experiences among students, academics, and professionals. This promotes integration not only within the Andean subregion but also with the rest of our continent.”

Juli Gutiérrez of la Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI) added, “We are very pleased, not only with the significantly higher number of teams compared to previous years, but also with the diverse representation from universities across the region. This progress shows that we are advancing in the dissemination and education of intellectual property within the Latin American university student community. In this final oral phase, participants developed essential skills for their future legal practice, such as oratory, critical thinking, and response capabilities. In past years, we have witnessed the teams’ ability to defend their positions—some were even introduced to the field of intellectual property through this competition.”

The winning team received a cash prize of US $3,000, among other awards. Teams were evaluated on their written submissions and oral arguments by a panel of experts in both IP and Andean Community law.

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 more than 6,700 organizations, representing more than 37,000 individuals (trademark owners, professionals, and academics) from 181 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 representatives in Amman, Nairobi, and New Delhi. For more information, visit inta.org.

Media Contact:
Tracey Eyers
International Trademark Association
Senior Strategist, Communications
[email protected]