Politics and IP. Regulation and IP. Just Two of the Topics Up for Discussion in Cartagena This October!

Highlighted recently here on IP Tango, the International Trademark Association (INTA) will be hosting its Changing Landscape of Latin America conference in Cartagena, Colombia, on October 2–3.

Serving on the conference project team, Iris Quadrio (Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, Argentina) and Urko Ochoa (Minino, Dominican Republic) contributed to the educational program and will be moderating a number of the sessions during the conference. The conference will be presented in English.

Moderated by Ms. Quadrio, a session titled “Politics and IP – Navigating This Unlikely Pair,” will feature Luiz Henrique O. do Amaral (Dannemann Siemsen, Brazil) and Prof. Dr. Gustavo Juan Schötz (National Director of Copyright, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Argentina). This session ties in closely with the theme of the conference, as it touches upon the changes that are reshaping the political landscape across Latin America, with Brazil transitioning towards presidential elections in 2018 after a particularly difficult period, and Argentina and Peru signaling important developments after their respective new administrations took office.

Speakers will delve into the changing political and economic landscape and its impact on issues such as the negotiation of agreements as they relate to intellectual property (IP) and trademarks, including the relaunch of Mercosur/EU trade talks. This discussion will also cover the role of the new trademark and IP authorities in Latin America, with their own list of priorities and reform projects, bringing participants up to date on the most recent changes and developments in the region.

Mr. Ochoa will lead a panel of experts comprising Melissa Pérez de Patterson (Procter & Gamble, Panama), Sergio Barragán (Pepsico, Mexico), and Rodrigo Velasco (Alessandri Abogados, Chile) in a session concerning the balance between IP rights and the increasing regulatory landscape. They will discuss a numbers of issues raised as a consequence of the new regulatory regimes which are expanding in the region, the corresponding restrictions for IP rights, and how IP owners and practitioners are facing the new challenges. Participants should expect to receive a clear regional overview of the matter, as well as the conflicts arising from the overlap between IP and regulatory provisions (such as packaging claims, use of characters, and other restrictions), and expectations for future developments.

Following the conference, on October 4, INTA will host a workshop, Free Trade Zones: Commerce vs. Counterfeits, during which brand owners, free trade zone authorities, government officials, and other stakeholders will explore the ongoing threat of counterfeiting in free trade zones.

Register here to join INTA in Cartagena this October.

Post written by INTA.