Member Articles
How to Protect my Trademarks and Ideas?
Related Articles inCorporate & Business
More Corporate & Business Aricles → Latest Firm's PressMorgan & Morgan
You are undertaking a project for a new business, a startup.You already have the financial/commercial side well thought-out, and have commissioned a designer to sketch a logo and design a corporate identity under the brand you have decided to use. You buy stationery, signs, business cards, among others. You commence the required process to obtain a notice of operation (Aviso de Operación) at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries and, at that moment, you realize that there is not one, but several businesses whose names are identical or confusingly similar to yours. How did this happen? To answer this question, we must first understand what a trademark is and what is its purpose. A trademark is a distinctive sign or set of signs (below we will explain what signs can constitute trademarks) that allows us to differentiate the products, services and trade name of one company from those of another. The main feature of a trademark is its distinctive character, that is, it must be capable of distinguishing a product and/or service from others that already exist, in order for a consumer to identify, distinguish and differentiate said product and/or service from an existing one that is identical or similar in nature. What type of signs can constitute trademarks? The applicable Panamanian law, Law 61 of October 2012, dictates that trademarks may consist of: words or a combination of words; images, figures, symbols and graphics; letters, numbers and combinations; three-dimensional shapes; colors in their different combinations; sounds; smells or tastes; or any combination of any of the previously mentioned elements. So, based on the above, what are the different types of trademarks?
Before investing in the corporate image of a business, an entrepreneur or startup founder must verify the existence of identical or similar marks, to the extent that those similar marks could cause confusion. This is accomplished by carrying out a search or verification of trademarks that are in the process of being registered or have been registered with the General Directorate for Registration of Industrial Property (DIGERPI, for its name in Spanish), and in the Panama Emprende system, since, with regards to intellectual property, Panama recognizes a right over a trademark to those persons who first used the trademark within Panama for commercial purposes.This verification can be carried out electronically, through queries in DIGERPI’s database, or in writing, by submitting a search request with said entity. In any case, consulting with an intellectual property lawyer is advisable, so as to properly interpret the results of a trademark search and/or provide advice on theprocedureto register a trademark. With regard to ideas, we note that a single idea is not protected intellectual property. Under the prism of copyright, the formal expression of ideas is protected. This means that the ideas must have been affixed or embodied in some material mean, such as a book, a canvas, an audiovisual work, an architectural plan, a poem or a song, to enjoy copyright protection. Finally, the main advice before investing in the name and image of a new business, is to consult the various sources available with respect to trademark and notice of operations (Aviso de Operación), and seek legal advice from an experienced attorney in the field to avoid losing what was invested in promotional materials, creating an image, time and, in the worst case, being involved in a trademark dispute. We are at your service for any queries you may have on these issues. For more information on these topics, please contact: Allen Candanedo
|
Link to article
Related Articles in
Corporate & Business
- Bankruptcy Moratorium Expiration: The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation Clarifies a Number of Key Issues
January, 2021 - Winding-Up a Company: It Now Takes More to Wind-Up a Company, in the Same Amount of Time
January, 2021 - Bitesize: Freeports – Joint Ventures
January, 2021 - Power to the Contract
January, 2021
More Corporate & Business Aricles →
Latest Firm's Press
Morgan & Morgan
- Morgan & Morgan Advised Farmalisto in an Equity Investment of Various Investors
December, 2020 - Morgan & Morgan Advised Banistmo, S.A. in Connection with the Public Offering of Senior Secured Notes for an Amount of up to US$400 Million Issued Through the ENA Master Trust
December, 2020 - Morgan & Morgan Advised Itaú Corpbanca in Connection with Two Credit Facilities for an Amount of up to US$83,801,622.00 and COP 367,366,730,694.00
December, 2020