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Milestones in Intellectual Property in Mexico during 2016

Mexico’s IP regime has undergone remarkable reforms and substantial progress during the past years taking a major step forward in the efforts to toughen IP rights protection, improve competition and, consequently, encourage foreign investment.

Indeed, 2016 was definitely a year that brought several IP developments into light in Mexico. With the long awaited trademark opposition system now fully implemented, the adherence to the Pacific Alliance and the PPH agreements established as a result thereof, as well as with the effective implementation of the new criminal justice system, Mexico has become a referent of a newly industrialized country (NIC) actively striving for recognizing IIP with its fair value.

In addition to the above, Mexico’s IP legal framework now contemplates -and is still refining- a patent linkage system, a Customs Trademark Registry, as well as the digital platforms for completing electronic filings, all these intended to harmonize and maximize the quality standards and transparency in the procedures of IIP rights protection in the benefit of the system’s users in our country.

Finally, while still suffering from deficiencies, it is important to consider that Mexico signed the Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) which addresses most of the imperfections of our IIP system and leaving them on the table for further and deep discussion. Thus, even though dark clouds now seem to be gathering over the TPP, the real needs of the Mexican IIP system have -now more than ever- been clearly acknowledged and now all the efforts will be directed towards the sophistication and refinement of our system.

We expect 2017 to be a year of consolidation of all the implementations, as well as a year that would bring more changes in the interests of strengthening IIP rights protection and, in turn, gaining much more trust among all of the actors and users of our system.

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