DoMInICAn REPUBLIC
Jaime R. Angeles
Angeles & Lugo Lovatón
DoMInICAn REPUBLIC
LEGIsLAtIVE
EVoLUtIon In 2009
In the Dominican Republic, 2009 saw signifi cant legal developments. Th e Th is constitution also recognises a ‘right to culture’, under which everyone
Dominican Congress approved a new constitution; a new law governing will have liberal access to cultural goods and services, and scientifi c advances.
corporations was enacted; and the national telecommunications agency It is hoped that judicial interpretation of these new articles will continue to
started the enforcement of ‘numeric portability’ rules for cellular phones.
foster the protection of intellectual property rights.
A number of interesting court cases dealing with trademarks and copyright
in the digital arena were decided or initiated, and important government new corporation law
agencies entered into a special agreement for the protection of intellectual
Th e new corporation law came into eff ect on June 19, 2009. Th e new law
property in the Dominican Republic.
aims to completely modernise the Dominican Code of Commerce (which
is modelled on the French revolutionary code). It regulates company
new constitution and intellectual property rights processes that previously lacked regulation and strengthens the protection
Th e Dominican Republic passed a text for constitutional reform that
of stakeholders and other interested parties.
will enter into force in January 2010. Th e expanded rights that the
Th e new law introduces two new vehicles for doing business: limited liability
constitution aff ords include new language for the protection of intellectual
companies (LLCs) and individual proprietorships with limited liability
property rights.
(IPLLs), which allow individual business owners to keep their personal
property from the reach of their business creditors by placing their business
Article 52 of the new constitution expressly protects intellectual property,
assets in a limited liability entity.
recognising the exclusive property of scientifi c, literary and artistic works,
inventions, denominations, trademarks and all productions of human
Th is new law also regulates the most signifi cant corporate processes
intellect, as established by law. Th is text represents a major change from the (mergers, spin-off s, purchase and redemption by a company of its own
former constitution, which made no mention of trademarks or any type of shares, dissolution and liquidation) and sets out corporate governance
signs, and includes better wording to defi ne intellectual property rights. rules and provisions intended to achieve greater transparency. Th ese
62 World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 www.worldipreview.com
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173