Region: Latin America & Caribbean

Last week the disposal of a range of intangible assets owned by RadioShack was completed, raising around $40 million for the bankrupt business. The sale included a range of trademarks, domain names and a small portfolio of 73 granted and pending…

02 July 2015

In January 2015 the Medicines Regulatory Agency (COFEPRIS) announced its approval of 26 innovative biotech products and two follow-on biotech products (biocomparables). In its annual report released at the beginning of the year – COFEPRIS: Managing…

17 June 2015

Although the period for the Mexican Ministry of Health to issue regulations on the approval of biocomparables has expired, the draft regulations are still being reviewed, with input from the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical Research and the National Association of Drug Manufacturers.

07 September 2011

Industrialists, merchants and service providers can use trademarks in industry and commerce, or for the services that they provide. Mexican law provides robust protection again counterfeiters, while the federal prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office investigates alleged IP crimes with the support of the Federal Investigations Agency and the police.

23 March 2011

A new decree has reformed several provisions of the IP Law related to patent practice. The amendments include modifying the industrial application requirement for patentability to include a need to demonstrate the possibility of the "practical utility" of the invention and to support such utility fully in the written description.

19 January 2011

The examiners of the Mexican Trademark Office (IMPI) rarely analyse the distinctiveness of the different elements. However, since its creation in 2009, the IP Court of the Federal Court for Tax and Administrative Affairs has been developing criteria in this regard, thereby correcting the IMPI.

03 November 2010

The Mexican Trademark and Patent Office (IMPI) has made available the new edition of the <i>Linkage Gazette</i>. Regrettably, IMPI excluded formulation patents, disregarding the petition by the Pharmaceutical Association of R&D Companies and failing to follow Supreme Court jurisprudence.

01 September 2010

IP law allows the protection of products through distinctive signs such as trademarks, trade names, slogans and appellations of origin. However, while these four options may seem adequate to ensure protection, IP law still provides no protection for trade dress.

04 August 2010

For many years Mexico has faced significant problems regarding the sale and distribution of counterfeit products. The Mexican government, with the collaboration of IP rights owners, has taken various enforcement actions against counterfeiters. The most noteworthy of these have been the actions taken at the border to challenge the import of counterfeits into Mexico.

23 June 2010

A recent marketing campaign highlights some of the intricacies inherent in Mexico’s trademark legislation. A well-known hotel in Mexico City had hired someone dressed as a chauffeur to stand at the arrival gates at Mexico City International Airport holding a sign bearing the names of celebrities alongside the hotel’s trademark.

27 January 2010