Ingresar
Dominican Republic continues to demonstrate will to improve intellectual property enforcement
By Guzmán Ariza, Attorneys at Law
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2023 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights.
This annual report details USTR’s findings of more than 100 trading partners after significant research and enhanced engagement with stakeholders.
Twenty-two trading partners are on the Watch List, and merit bilateral attention to address underlying IP problems. Among those countries is the Dominican Republic.
According to the USTR, the Dominican Republic continues to demonstrate a strong political will to improve intellectual property protection and enforcement, including the creation in December 2022 of the National Inter‑Ministerial Council of Intellectual Property, intended to coordinate the agencies involved in IP protection and enforcement and ensure better cooperation and information sharing.
The report also highlights the increased coordination between the Attorney General’s office and Customs, as well as better training of local prosecutors, which allowed IP case prosecutions in the country to rose from 73 cases in 2018, to 217 cases in 2021, and 584 cases in 2022. Moreover, last year, authorities seized tens of millions of counterfeit items in raids and enforcement operations, including counterfeit medicines.
However, despite this progress, the United States remains concerned with prevalent online and signal piracy, the widespread sale of counterfeit goods, and the inconsistent quality of patent examinations.
Guzmán Ariza, Attorneys at Law
Guzmán Ariza is a leading full-service law firm in the Dominican Republic, consistently ranked among the country’s top-tier firms by the most prominent global legal directories such as Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.
With ten strategically located offices across the nation's principal business and tourism hubs, we are uniquely positioned to support clients in seizing opportunities within the largest and fastest-growing economy in Central America and the Caribbean.
Our multilingual team is well-versed in advising international clients across a broad spectrum of practice areas. In the field of intellectual property, we offer robust counsel and representation in both commercial transactions and litigation. Our services cover trademark and trade name protection, copyright and patent registration and enforcement, as well as licensing, assignments, and the transfer of IP rights.
Guzmán Ariza is globally connected through active memberships in prominent international legal networks, enabling us to effectively support cross-border matters and multinational transactions.