Global Intellectual Property Alliance

By Bufete Mejía & Asociados

On October 2022, the Global Intellectual Property Alliance (GLIPA) was officially launched in Atlanta. GLIPA is new a non-profit organization with the mission to help all citizens benefit from IP enhancing the quality and enjoyment of life, spurring economic growth and creating new jobs and industries in their communities.

The Global Intellectual Property Alliance currently has more than 260 members representing 57 countries and five regions of the world (United States-Canada, LATAM and the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia) that are working tirelessly in order to fulfill the mission of the alliance. On November 2022 its board of directors appointed Colombian lawyer, María Fernanda Hurtado, as its Executive Director.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible group of public and private professionals across the global innovation ecosystem. We are committed to increasing society's understanding of what intellectual property is, why it matters and how we can use it to transform ideas into realities that improve people's lives," Hurtado said.

"María Fernanda is a tireless and passionate advocate for our work at GLIPA. Her experience in this leadership role will be important to our organization," said Scott Frank, president of the alliance. For his part, Gonzalo Rovira, director of Legal Affairs, Intellectual Property and Licensing of the Bayer Group for LATAM and vice-president of GLIPA, praised Hurtado’s work. "Latin America has an excellent representative in GLIPA. María Fernanda is a great leader, very committed to the values that GLIPA has. She will contribute to making the world, especially our Latin American region, feel passionate about intellectual property".

Ricardo Mejía, partner at Bufete Mejía & Asociados in Honduras and member of the GLIPA board, also highlighted Hurtado’s extensive professional experience and Latin America’s role in the alliances objective. “Intellectual property is a marvelous tool that must be understood by all governments in the region as a key element in promoting sustainability, business development and the well-being of society," Mejía said.