Andean Community and EUIPO Strengthen Intellectual Property Cooperation

By PPO Abogados

The General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at further advancing initiatives to enhance the intellectual property (IP) system in the Andean Community. This subregion, composed of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, is set to benefit from continued efforts to support IP enforcement and protection.

The new agreement builds on the work that began in 2017 under the IPKey Latin America Project. The project’s objective has been to provide support to improve IP observance and protection throughout Latin America. The continued collaboration between IPKey and the SGCAN has already led to significant achievements for the member countries, such as the Andean Compendium of Trademark Decisions, the Manual for the Examination of Industrial Designs, and the Feasibility Study for the Establishment of a Community Trademark.

Franklin Molina, Director General of Social Development, Cooperation, and Intellectual Property at the Andean Community, and João Negrão, Executive Director of the EUIPO, formally signed the memorandum of understanding between their institutions. The project aims to strengthen the IP system in the Andean Community and enhance the capacity of the member countries to promote, protect, and create intellectual assets.

The Andean Community is committed to fostering the use of various IP tools, including designations of origin, collective trademarks, traditional knowledge, expressions of art, industrial designs, and utility models. These tools are crucial for protecting the region’s cultural heritage and supporting local economies. Through this continued collaboration with the EUIPO, the Andean Community is working to ensure that its citizens, associations, and businesses can leverage these IP mechanisms to their advantage.

The agreement was signed during the IP Key LA Summit on February 4, 2025, in Brazil. The evento aimed to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Latin America, recognizing the collaboration of Latin American intellectual property offices.

The IP Key LA Summit served as a forum for IP experts to discuss key challenges and explore ways to enhance cooperation between the European Union and Latin America on intellectual property. The event brought together representatives from IP offices across Europe and Latin America, as well as key stakeholders, including INTERPOL, the European Commission, Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE), Associação Brasileira da Propriedade intelectual (ABPI), and Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI).