New EU Offices to Boost Intellectual Property Cooperation in MERCOSUR

By Pittaluga Abogados

IP Key Latin America (IP Key LA), a program of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), inaugurated its new offices in Brazil on July 12, 2023. The offices are located at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in Rio de Janeiro.

The opening of the new offices is a significant milestone in the strengthening of ties between the European Union and MERCOSUR countries in terms of intellectual property (IP) protection and promotion. The offices will serve as a strategic hub for knowledge exchange, best practices, and training on IP matters among MERCOSUR member countries and the EU. They will also facilitate the development of joint projects and collaboration in areas of common interest, such as innovation, economic development, and the effective protection of IP rights.

“The opening of our new offices in Brazil is a major step forward in our mission to strengthen cooperation in Latin America,” said IP Key LA Director General, Marta Segarra.

Speakers at the ceremony highlighted the importance of IP cooperation between the EU and MERCOSUR, and expressed their confidence that the new offices would play a vital role in promoting innovation and economic development in the region.

The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), is a trade bloc in South America comprising of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It was formed in 1991 with the objective of free movement of goods, services, capital and people and became a customs union in January 1995. One of MERCOSUR's role models is the European Union.

IP Key LA is a program of the EUIPO that supports the development of IP systems in Latin America. The program provides training, technical assistance, and capacity building to IP offices, businesses, and other stakeholders in the region. IP Key LA also promotes cooperation between the EU and Latin America on IP matters.