Argentina and Peru, examples for Nicaragua

By Guy José Bendaña-Guerrero & Asociados

Argentina and Peru, examples for Nicaragua
The Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (Asipi) is gathering information about the developments of Country Brands in its member countries.

A Country Brand is defined as a distinctive sign that identifies a particular state (regional or territorial) that aims to promote its exports efforts and attract tourism.

In our country the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute (Intur) registered the trademark "Nicaragua unique and original" within classes 16, 35 and 39 of the Nice International Classification.

The Institute thinks that the trademark seeks to promote Nicaragua as a great tourist attraction and therefore should be considered a Country Brand. However that criteria is not shared by all public and private sectors, since there is no legislation which expressly states the requirements that must be fulfilled before the trademark is considered a Country Brand.

Our government, through organizations such as the Registry of Intellectual Property (RPI) and Intur, has drived researches to lay the foundations of a regulation governing all matters for the creation and use of a Country Brand.

The experience considered by those researches has been of Latin American countries such as Argentina and Peru, where the Country Brand has been directly created through a presidential decree.
Guy José Bendaña-Guerrero & Asociados

GUY JOSE BENDAÑA GUERRERO & ASOCIADOS has a long and prosperous tradition in the field of intellectual property (IP) in Nicaragua, with roots that go back to more than 100 years, resulting on long-term relationships with renowned clients and attorneys worldwide.

The firm has its origins in the law firm Henry Caldera & Henry Caldera-Pallais, founded in 1907 by Mr. Henry Caldera. That same year of 1907, through the efforts of Mr. Caldera, Nicaragua had its first Trademark Law. In the late 1930’s, Mr. Caldera’s oldest son, Dr. Henry Caldera-Pallais, after studying law in Nicaragua, attended the University of Michigan, where he graduated as a Registered U.S. Patent Attorney. Dr. Caldera-Pallais in 1964 was a founding member of the Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI), the first regional intellectual property organization in the Americas. The firm continued to grow during the administration of Dr. Franklin Caldera, son of Dr. Caldera-Pallais, who obtained his doctoral degree in law from the Universidad Centroamericana in 1973.

Since 1985 the current partners, Dr. Guy José Bendaña Guerrero and Mrs. Blanca Aragón de Bendaña, took over the management of the firm. Dr. Bendaña Guerrero, Director of the firm, has distinguished himself as one of the most respected authorities in Central America in the field of intellectual property and law in general, being the author of several books such as “Course of Industrial Property Law”, “Study of the new Laws of Industrial Property” and “New Study of Contracts “, among others. Mrs. Aragón de Bendaña has served as the firm’s general manager and, thanks to her excellent management, the firm has been in constant growth, with a highly qualified staff committed to excellence. Since 1996, partner Julián José Bendaña Aragón joined the firm, and has been standing out as one of the most recognized attorneys in the field of intellectual property.

We have adapted to the constant change of the business world, supporting our clients in finding the most appropriate legal solutions for each moment. The firm distinguishes itself by understanding the needs of its clients, offering personalized service and adding value to its activities.

Nowadays we continue to be the leading firm in Nicaragua in the area of intellectual property, and at the same time, we have been consolidating other areas of service within the civil, commercial and labor fields, as well as litigation and consulting in general. The firm is well positioned to guarantee a pragmatic service that meets the requirements of the most demanding clients.

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