VEnEZUELA
VEnEZUELA
tHE LACK of A sUPREME CoURt VERDICt on oUR REqUEst
foR IntERPREtAtIon AnD tHE LACK of A nEW LAW
ADAPtED to tHE CURREnt EConoMIC AnD LEGAL REALItIEs
MEAn tHAt tHE sItUAtIon In VEnEZUELA Is UnCLEAR
by paying three times the annuity to the treasury and attending the
Industrial Property Registry Offi ce within three months of the agreed
Hugo Bazzani Aronne is the IP general manager at Hoet Pelaez Castillo &
payment date. Th e registrar will grant the interested party a certifi cate of
Duque. He can be contacted at: hbazzani@hpcd.com
reinstatement and will make the corresponding publication in the Industrial
Property Bulletin.
Maria Nebreda is a partner at Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque. She can be
contacted at: mnebreda@hpcd.com
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the lack of a Supreme Court verdict on our request for
interpretation and the lack of a new law adapted to the current economic
Hugo Bazzani Aronne worked for Gillette in Venezuela, Argentina
and legal realities mean that the situation in Venezuela is unclear.
and Boston before joining Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque in 2001.
Nevertheless, there has been an announcement that Venezuela’s legislative
He has a degree in Industrial Engineering—Production from the
body is currently developing a new law, which we hope will improve the
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, and has attended Harvard
University’s Business Extension school and the Intellectual
current ambiguous situation.
Property summer Institute at franklin Pierce Law Center. He
It is important to highlight the government’s intention to make the new law
is a member of the Committee of Intellectual Property of the
compliant with international treaties.
Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce, Caracas College
of Engineering and the American Management Association.
And even though Venezuela decided to withdraw from CAN, it is well
known that the country wants to actively participate and eventually join
Maria Nebreda joined Hoet Peláez Castillo & Duque in 1988,
the South American common market (Mercosur) as a full member. For
after working as an attorney in the International Division of
this to happen, Venezuela would be obliged to maintain due commercial
Banco Consolidado and at the foreign trade Institute. she has
a Law degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, and
and legal standards, and to operate under a legal framework adjusted and
has studied at Boston University and the Center for American
compliant with all normative rules related to intellectual property matters,
and International Law in Dallas. nebreda is the president of the
as established by the Mercosur treaties.
Venezuelan Association of Industrial Property, and a member
Considering that the validity of the Intellectual Property Law of 1955 may
of the Caracas Bar Association, the International trademark
be temporary, we recommend that all interested parties update and follow
Association, the Pharmaceutical trademark Group and the
up on their requests for protection of their IP interests in Venezuela, and
Inter-American Association of Industrial Property.
consult with their legal counsel in order to keep up to date.
168 World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 www.worldipreview.com
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