region notes
Direct Filing Countries
The following countries allow direct filing:
Belize
Falkland Islands
French Guiana
Cautionary Notice Countries
A number of countries have not adopted set governmental procedures for intellectual property rights, particularly with regard to trademark registration. In those countries, advertisement in the major daily publication provides applicants with necessary rights. The Cautionary Notice countries in the region:
Falkland Islands
French Guiana
Former British Colonies
Former British colonies are frequently classified together because they share intellectual propery protection procedures. Many also share requirements for the extension of U.K. IP rights. Former British colonies in the region:
Guyana
Mexico, as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has close ties with the United States and Canada. Because of the developing free movement of goods and services between the nations, intellectual property owners are well-advised to consider registering their rights in all three jurisdictions.
The small, former colonial states of Central America have relatively new intellectual property systems. Registration of rights in these areas, however, may be worthwhile, since they could be used as conduits for counterfeit goods.
South American nations are large and complex with well-developed intellectual property systems. As former Spanish colonies, they show some aspects of the Spanish legal system, but have been active on international trade and intellectual property issues.
The unions of several nations -- the 4-nation Mercosur and the 5-nation Andean Pact -- have provided for some standardization of intellectual property regulations in the region.