The articles in this year's Americas IP Focus show a region in a state of flux. Nearly all the pieces in the supplement indicate a push towards change and development.
Mexico is clearly grappling with a number of issues in the IP arena, and many of the articles in this supplement concern the jurisdiction. The article on non-traditional trademarks mirrors a worldwide preoccupation with the topic. Other pieces relating to Mexico focus on pitfalls in the Mexican IP system, the conflict between the reservation of rights and trademark law and a comparison between the Mexican approach to patent eligibility and the American guidelines.
The article on three-dimensional trademarks in Peru and other Andean Community countries gives some interesting examples of brands that have been able to register 3D marks. It also details the process for gaining registration of such marks.
One of the articles on Brazil discusses the patent backlog in the country and examines the measures being taken to mitigate this problem. This is a key development in the Brazilian IP sphere. The second piece on Brazil concerns the patent enforcement system in the pharmaceutical industry and analyses recent cases involving injunctions.
Finally, the Canada piece examines the latest developments in IP law in the jurisdiction, showing a move towards better use and protection of IP.
I have no doubt that those with business interests in the Americas will find this supplement invaluable when negotiating the fluid and dynamic IP landscape in this region of the world.
Sanjana Kapila
Commercial projects editor
