Just recently, on February 7, an event was held where Juan Lozano—who has been recently appointed as the General Director of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI)—issued the first Registration for olfactory, sound, and commercial image trademarks, which are known as registration of non-traditional trademarks, and are the result of the reforms recently implemented in Mexico, last August 2018.

Traditional trademarks are one of the most innovative figures in the market, since they provide an added value to their products not only by being perceptible through our sense of sight, but also by smell and hearing.

The Brazilian PTO (BRPTO) published the Resolution No 235/2019 implementing the Phase II Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program between Brazil and Japan

The BRPTO published on February 12, 2019, the Resolution No. 235/2019 implementing the Phase II of the PPH Pilot Program with the Japan Patent Office, which might speed up the examination of Brazilian applications duly filed and regularly pending in Brazil after a corresponding application from the same family receives the notice of allowance from the JPO. This procedure allows the applicant to obtain a patentability decision in the second office (BRPTO) more quickly.

We have been advised that the Venezuelan National patent office has issued a communication dated February 1st , 2019 informing that venezuelan cryptocurrency called “Petro” would be adopted as payment system of Official fees. The exchange would be USD 60 per Petro.

Beyond establishing the payment of pending formalities that were suspended since February 2nd 2018, we consider that this system may derive to negative financial and legal consecuences to the applicants since the Government of the United States has explicitly forbidden any transaction related to Petro.

We are wishing our clients a healthy and splendid New lunar year.
May all your wishes come true. Happy year of the pig!