Newsletter - Latin America IP SME Helpdesk

Today, the World IP Day celebrates the ground-breaking work and "can-do" spirit of female entrepreneurs, creators, and inventors globally. Joining forces, the International IP SME Helpdesks published an article compiling initiatives being carried out by different countries and national IP offices to empower women in their IP journey in Africa, China, India, Latin America, and South-East Asia.

The National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) recently published a study stating that the number total patent applications in Chile increased by 3.3 % in 2022. According to the analysis, the number of female inventors went up by 27% whereas the number of male inventors increased by only 3% compared to the previous year.

Strong technology portfolios help businesses to generate a competitive advantage with their products or services. For these businesses to remain competitive, it can be essential to understand the quality of their patents rather than the quantity of patented inventions. In order to thoroughly evaluate the patent quality in Latin America the first-ever Quality Index has been developed. Have a look at the Index created based on seventeen countries in the region and a 20-year timespan (1997 - 2016).

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has just released the eleventh edition of the International IP Index benchmarking the IP framework in 55 global economies across 50 unique indicators. Brazil and Colombia outperform their overall Index scores on the category of System Efficiency. The Index reported that a new law in Chile, which entered in to force in January 2022, introduced statutory damages for trademark infringement.

The number of international patent applications has increased by 0.3% and reached its peak in 2022. Innovators in China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Germany have been the top five countries in filings under World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Along with the top five countries, more than a few Latin American countries - Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina Uruguay- have also experienced growth in PCT applications.

The Chilean National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) has recently announced that Chile adopts 12th edition of the Nice Classification for trademarks to keep up with the constant evolution of the international market. The new edition also aims to modernize technical criteria for the classification of products and services as well as the correct registration of trademarks.

EU Knowledge Valorisation Week brings together research and innovation actors to exchange experiences, discuss current trends and challenges, and explore valorisation opportunities with various stakeholders. Inspired by the European Year of Skills, the event offers hands-on training for researchers, young innovators, and anyone interested. On 28 April, together with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the European IP Helpdesk will offer free online courses to improve skills in managing intellectual assets and present the services provided by the International IP SME Helpdesks.

The 7th edition of International B2B Software Days will concentrate on new business and innovation trends and networking among the participants. The event primarily targets companies and research and development (R&D) institutions looking for technological, research and business co-operations. The Latin America IP SME Helpdesk team will take part in the event to introduce the free of charge EU-funded services on intellectual property (IP) protection as well as enforcement in Latin America.

This year the Murcia Food Brokerage Event will take place from 11 to 16 May and showcase the most recent innovations in the food technology industry. This event will offer businesses from various European countries a great opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with the goal of establishing technology cooperation agreements. There will be opportunities for bilateral discussions between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups from Europe and SMP nations to create agreements for technology collaborations. The meetings will be held in a hybrid format on May 11–12 in Murcia and May 15–16 through the b2match platform. Looking forward to meeting you!