The registered trademark, allied for entrepreneur and consumer

By Vicente Páez

The market offers innumerable articles to people.And the difference in quality can be vital.Therefore, having precise and truthful information about the origin and conditions of a product or service is fundamental.And there the brand enters to play a gravitational role.And for SMEs the registration of one or several brands is a business tool.

"A brand is a distinctive sign that allows you to distinguish a product or one service from another.And it has a double character.On the one hand it has a consumer defense because I know what I am consuming, I know that a cookie or a juice is such a brand, or a clothing is brand such.And let's give an example of a very important product, a remedy.That I can perfectly identify the manufacturer through the brand of that product to be responsible.And on the other hand it is a protection for the head of that brand, that no one is going to reproduce a product without the authorization of the brand owner, "said the director of intellectual property, lawyer Patricia Stanley.

Micro, small and medium enterprises are on the list of attention priorities from the National Intellectual Property Directorate (DINAPI)."Since we enter this direction we seek to approach people.And that through the website: www.DINAPI.GOV.Py, several services can be offered to users.And above all, small and medium enterprises.Because we saw that a company, and so far passes, makes its logo, makes its label, makes its poster and did not come to know if the name is available or not.With which it has an economic damage.So what we are looking for, that the website has the information we have, which are: what brands were granted, if the brand ´La Morenita 'puts, for example, and if ´La Morenita´ is already registered then one then oneChange the name, with that the service to citizenship is facilitated.We want citizens to find here support for their company's training, "said Stanley.

Today from the website you can see what brands were granted, what brands do not, what are the requests that are entering to be able or not opposition, all the forms are already online, they are in a Word format that one can download, fill outThe form and bring printed, detailed the director."The idea is to bring people closer.The brands forms, the forms of industrial drawings and models, the patent forms, the copyright forms, "annexed are available on the web," annexed.

Steps to follow

Stanley detailed the itinerary that must be followed to register a brand."The first thing the interested party has to do is enter the website (http: // www.DINAPI.GOV.py) and see if the name is available or not;If it is available, we will say that you look for similar names too.We give this recommendation because it can have the same name and yes a similar name, and that can cause an opposition when requesting;There you have to lower the form, fill it and get an agent, because the brand law requires that the submission of applications be with an agent.The list of agents is also found on the website.In other words, one can know who agents of industrial property are or not because it is registered on the website;Third, come to present here the form.The rate is 140.000 Guaraníes, is what the Paraguayan State charges that of the SME, the rest of what is charged are professional fees ".

What is charged in terms of fees on the part of the agents is 1.500.000 to 2 million Guaraníes.In other words, what remains to the Paraguay.Paraguay has the lowest rate in America, he added.

The procedures must be carried out at the Dinapi office in Asunción, which currently operates in Spain 323 almost the United States.The phone is (021) 210-977.It is intended to open a similar office in Ciudad del Este.

"There are many requests.And most are national requests.In fact Paraguay appears in the ideal world of the World Organization for Intellectual Property (WIPO) for being the country that presents the most national requests in relation to the number of inhabitants that it has, in the ideal world of innovation we appear as a countryVery important because our nationals register many brands, "said the official marked.

The deadlines

To reduce processing time."Today, without the opposition, in 1 year and a half to 2 years the brands are being granted, for the delays that are being held.I want to reach 8 months to grant a brand.That is the goal for next year.That is not yet achieved because we have an inheritance of many arrears.In Spain a brand without opposition is granted in 6 months.Let's hope to get to that period time, "Stanley described.

"Today, all patents that were approved in Paraguay and which were published are also on the network, the agents come and register here, bring their card, have a pin number, of income, which can review their file fromHis office, without the need to come to the Directorate's premises here.And the input table income vouchers, which when we enter it took 23 days to grant, today they are delivered in the day.We have also changed the title sheets.Today they are delivered safely, they are security sheets, "he attached.

Attention Area for SMEs

Ignorance and potential."There is a lot of ignorance regarding the brand registration.We are just creating a division of support for SMEs.Because what we realized is that the greats know.The great industrialists do know and do take advantage, but the little ones, not, "explained the director of intellectual property, Patricia Stanley.

"We need a stronger link with small businesses, and in fact we are creating a support division for them.We are even going to hire a graphic designer to help them generate their logos, that entrepreneurs come here and we can give them an advice directly.See if your brand is registered or not, if you are not registered or if you are registered and can have an opposition, "said the official.

"For example, if I write crazy coca most likely Coca Cola opposes me.Then let's suggest another option.Obviously one is free to do what he wants.We can guide him if this brand is going to have opposition, because if it is a weak brand, a brand with a generic name does not have much distinction.That is, people suddenly do not realize that coffee is generic, but when I say coffee Martínez there is different, the badge is Martínez, not coffee.And those are the things you can advise.The veterinarian "cannot be given to a veterinarian, because the best is weak and veterinarian is generic.Maybe I feel the best veterinarian because I love animals very much, but as a brand I can't have, because I'm going to have a rejection, "Stanley described.