Mexico is a country located in North America that has a total population of approximately 128.9 million inhabitants. For companies looking to expand to Latin America, Mexico offers great opportunities. However, before expanding your business to this country, it is important to adopt a strategy in order to protect your intangibles. For instance, Mexico adopts the “First to file” system for trademark protection, which means that the first person to file the application of a trademark has priority over it.
Find out below how to register a trademark in Mexico and thus obtain the exclusive rights over it said territory.
How to register a trademark in Mexico?
First of all, in order to register a trademark in Mexico, you need to file an application with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). The IMPI is a public authority that administrates the industrial property system in Mexico.
Mexico uses the Nice Classification System, which establishes an international classification of products and services that applies to trademark registration. Consequently, the Nice System sets 45 classes, 34 of them which include products and 11 of them that include services.
Trademarks in Mexico are granted for periods of 10 (ten) years from the moment of registration. Additionally, trademarks can be renewed upon request of its owner every 10 (ten) years.
Yes, owners of trademarks granted from 10th of August 2018 on must file a declaration of use of the trademark after the third (3) year of obtaining its registration.
The documents will depend on the specific case. However, we anticipate that in all cases you must provide:
– Payment of fees
– Request for distinctive signs,
– Document that proves the personality of the agent,
– Additional personal data form.
Trademark registration in Mexico takes approximately 6 (six) months from the moment of filing. Notwithstanding that, this will depend on the characteristics of the trademark and the observations made to it.
How do I start the process of registering my trademark and how much does it cost?
If you are ready to protect your trademarks in Mexico, contact us and we will prepare a quote according to your needs.
