Trademarks and Patentts

Our office manage consumer protection processes, opposition processes or cancellation of trademark registration, proceedings in relation to the protection of Industrial and Intellectual Properties rights and Unjust Competition Processes.

Law 35 of May 10, 1996 regulates everything in relation to the registration of marks in the Republic of Panama. Same defines the concept of mark as "every sign, word, combination of these elements or any other means that, for their characters, be susceptible of individualizing a product or service in commerce".

The right to register a mark is acquired by use, but the exclusive use is acquired by registration. We must understood that as a consequence, a person could not invoke the undue use of a mark by a third person if same has not been previously registered the mark in Panama, except in the case of famous or very well known mark.

The application for a Mark Registration before the General Bureau of the Intellectual Property Registry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries comprised four basic requisites, name and general data of the applicant, elements of the trade name, the denomination or designs of the mark applied for and specifications of the products or services protected by the marks.

The applicant must accompanied the application with the following documents:

1. Power of Attorney.

2. Certificate of Existence of the applicant corporation.

3. Affidavit.

4. Six (6) signed labels.

All those documents coming from abroad must be duly authenticated with an apostille