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Artificial Intelligence Comes to the DNPI

By Pittaluga Abogados

The National Directorate of Industrial Property (DNPI) recently introduced an Artificial Intelligence-based assistant to support the examination of trademark applications.

This initiative reflects a trend already being followed by leading intellectual property offices around the world and represents an important step forward in the modernization of Uruguay’s IP system.

The new tool is designed to assist examiners with tasks such as conducting searches for prior rights and identifying potential conflicts between distinctive signs. Thanks to AI’s ability to process large volumes of information within seconds, the examination of applications will benefit from technological support that will help make the process more efficient and consistent.

The technology will serve as an important tool to support examiners, who will, of course, remain responsible for deciding whether an application should be granted or refused.

For companies, entrepreneurs and trademark applicants in general, this innovation is likely to bring tangible benefits, as improved identification of prior rights and greater consistency in examination criteria will help strengthen legal certainty and streamline procedures.

The implementation of this tool by the DNPI is excellent news for Uruguay’s intellectual property ecosystem. It represents a step toward a more modern and efficient administration, aligned with international best practices.

At the same time, it confirms that technology and legal expertise must advance hand in hand to provide an increasingly robust and reliable system for those seeking to protect one of their most valuable assets: their trademark.