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The Latin America IP SME Helpdesk has published a new factograph on trademarks in Latin America, providing a concise and practical overview.

On 20 April 2026, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced that the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial, INPI) had joined Madrid e-Filing. Brazil is the first country in Latin America to offer this service, bringing the total number of participating offices to 41.

On 24 March 2026, the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) signed a Coordination and Collaboration Agreement to strengthen the protection of intellectual property in cross-border trade. This agreement was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 9 April 2026.

Under the new framework, the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) will examine each patent application individually, applying the general criteria established by patent law, without the additional restrictions previously imposed by the 2012 guidelines.

Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) published, in the Official Gazette of the Union on April 29, a new regulation that allows trademark owners to indicate more than one registration in applications for recognition of high reputation.

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of the tools used by European and SMP SMEs, from recommendation engines and chatbots to computer vision systems and generative AI for content creation. The International IP Helpdesk has published a comprehensive joint guide on Artificial Intelligence & IP across China, India, Latin America, and South-East Asia, providing practical insights into navigating IP challenges in these regions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is spreading faster than electricity or the internet, with over 1.2 billion users worldwide. Companies are increasingly using AI to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, reduce costs, and boost productivity. With the global AI market projected to exceed $4 trillion by 2030, driven largely by enterprise adoption, the momentum continues to grow. Explore the latest insights on AI developments in Latin America in our new blog post.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has released Episode 5 of its podcast series Creative Sparks: From Inspiration to Innovation, focusing on a key challenge for European businesses: access to finance and the role of intellectual property (IP) in bridging this gap. The new episode examines how IP rights can turn intangible assets, such as technologies, trademarks, and designs, into valuable financial tools that support business growth and competitiveness.

The European IP Helpdesk has published a new IP Special dedicated to impact investing and its connection to intellectual property (IP) management. The package compiles key resources and provides deeper insights into how IP can support investment strategies that generate both financial returns and positive societal or environmental impact.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) have adopted a Joint Action Plan to reinforce cooperation in research and innovation for the period 2026–2029. This initiative builds on previous collaboration and aligns with the current Commission’s strategic agenda, with a focus on strengthening the regional dimension of EU research and innovation policy.

The European Commission has published a study analysing the economic impact of policy options aimed at improving access to and reuse of publicly funded research results, publications and data. The study evaluates two main policy approaches: the introduction of an EU-wide secondary publication right and the establishment of a harmonised copyright exception for scientific research.

The Council of the European Union has adopted a regulation on new genomic techniques (NGTs), following years of discussions on sustainability and patenting. The regulation sets out a revised framework for NGTs, which are used to design or enhance traits in plant species, such as improving nutritional profiles or increasing resistance to disease and climatic conditions.

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