AmCham organizes Intellectual Property Summit in Guatemala

By Mayora IP

The Guatemalan-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) organized an IP Summit in Guatemala City to discuss the industry’s most challenging issues in the country’s economy. "The Value of Intellectual Property in the New Business Models" was the name of the event, which gathered IP authorities, professionals and firms.

"Intellectual Property is a driver of global competitiveness," said Waleska Sterkel, Executive Director of the Guatemalan-American AmCham. According to Sterkel, some of the risks of not protecting creative and technological ideas are information theft, card cloning, hacking of websites and applications, all problems that can quickly lead to the failure of a business. Sandra Iriarte, chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee of the the Guatemalan-American AmCham, added that technologies and ideas must be protected because, as they arise daily throughout the country, they become a key asset for people or companies. "The importance of IP should not be underestimated, it must be a priority when the first idea of a business sees light“, she recommended

For Silvia Ruiz, Director of the Guatemalan Patent and Trademark Office, new legal trends in Intellectual Property are developing different and efficient possibilities of protection for businesses. "I believe that the current IP legislation does provide sufficient certainty to protect these new business models”, Ruiz said, nevertheless admitting that technology is advancing quicker than legislation, both in Guatemala and globally.