VEnEZUELA
Hugo Bazzani Aronne and Maria nebreda
Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque
MoVInG tHE
GoALPosts
In the past couple of years, economic and political decisions have considerably
Th e main considerations for working on trademarks and patents under the
aff ected the regulation of intellectual property in Venezuela.
Law of Industrial Property are provided below:
Th ese changes have mainly been refl ected in Venezuela’s unilateral
trademarks
withdrawal from the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), which includes
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
General:
• Well-known marks are no longer recognised.
Venezuela’s unilateral withdrawal, implemented by executive decision
on April 2006, was based on a formal complaint about CAN’s foundation
filings:
agreements. Withdrawal created a judicial void because, previously, the legal
• New trademark fi ling requirements include:
framework governing industrial property in Venezuela was ruled by CAN
• Provision of information as to the use of the mark
Decision 486.
• Provision of information as to whether the mark has been fi led or
granted in the country of origin.
Immediately following the withdrawal, a request for interpretation was
submitted to the Supreme Court of Justice to determine if Decision 486 was Classifi cation:
still in eff ect in Venezuela. Th e court has yet to rule on the issue.
• A local classifi cation will be in force. Th e following Nice Classifi cations
will no longer be applicable:
Much to the disappointment of intellectual property agents, between April
2006 and September 2008, it was uncertain which regulatory system was
• Product Trademark: From Class 1 to Class 50
offi cially valid and in eff ect.
• Commercial Names (Service Trademarks): Class 50 DC
• Commercial Slogan: Class 50 LC.
In practice, Venezuela’s Intellectual Property Autonomous Services (SAPI)
applied CAN’s Decision 486 and Venezuela’s 1955 Industrial Property Law
Publication:
in parallel while there was uncertainty. SAPI is the country’s patent and
• Before publication in the Offi cial Bulletin, the mark should be published,
trademark offi ce. at the expense of the applicant, in a newspaper of national circulation.
Th en, in September 2008, SAPI notifi ed the public that, as a consequence
opposition:
of Venezuela’s withdrawal from CAN, the legal framework in eff ect is the • Th e publication of the mark in the Offi cial Bulletin opens a period of 30
55-year-old Law of Industrial Property. days during which interested parties can fi le oppositions
166 World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 www.worldipreview.com
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