Trademarks are an intellectual property right able to distinguish goods or services from a certain company, firm or enterprise from others belonging to third parties.
The main features of trademarks as intellectual property right are:
- Protected object: signs capable of graphic representation that distinguish products and services in the market.
- Type of protection: it guarantees the exclusive right of use and prevents third parties from marketing identical or similar products or using an image so similar that may create confusion.
- Duration: 10 years, renewable indefinitely.
- Type: national mark, community mark and international registry. In the case of Latin America, there are two types of registration:
- Brand in the Andean Group, for the member countries of the Andean Pact (Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru)
- Brand in the countries that make up MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela).
- Competent Body: National Brand OEPM (Spain)
- European Community Trademark: EUIPO (Europe)
- International Registry: WIPO through the Madrid System.
Find out more about Trademarks in #MoocVT Module Technology information management.
More information: WIPO Trademarks