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Dominican Republic strengthens IP rights protection with new public body
By Guzmán Ariza, Attorneys at Law
Dominican Republic IP-related public institutions carried out the first meeting of the Interministerial Council of Intellectual Property, a new body established last year by presidential Decree with the mission of protecting intellectual property throughout the country.
The Council is formed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Office of the Attorney General, the National Office of Industrial Property (Onapi), the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications, the Consumer Agency and the Customs Administration.
The main focus of the Council is to reinforce new IP regulations that secure a clear and strong business climate favoring private investment, transparency and technological knowledge.
“The Dominican Republic is continuously working to enforce its system of intellectual property rights, creating the conditions for an environment of innovation and security for national and foreign investors,” stated Víctor Bisonó, minister of Industry and Commerce.
The Interministerial Council of Intellectual Property particularly looks to generate more confidence with United States investors, companies and businesses. With new regulation the Dominican Republic aims at improving its outlook in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Report, which every year measures the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
In 2022 the Dominican Republic remained on the Watch List of the Special 301 Report. “Although the Dominican government appears to demonstrate political will to improve intellectual property protection and enforcement, concerns remain. In particular, the United States remains concerned with online and signal piracy, including a lack of IP prosecutions by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crimes and the National Copyright Office,” the report stated.
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.