An essential part of any business strategy is the need to protect Intellectual Property. Moreover, the benefits generated by the monopoly rights guaranteed through an action of patent registration might be very high.

In Protectia we have an exhaustively experience and a great team of professionals specialized in every aspect of the matter. They will be able to assess the specific needs of every single case and adjust it to the different ways and international agreements, in order to guarantee our clients quality assessment and efficient management throughout all the process of registration and defence of the patent.

Patent registration in Panama: the process

The administrative authority of industrial property in Panama, which has, among others, the responsibility to register patents of inventions is the General Directorate of the Industrial Property Registration (DIGERPI, in Spanish).

The process of registration usually goes through the following steps:

  • Filing of the application, with all the necessary documentation and the payment of correspondent fee.
  • Formal and technical examination, to verify the application is correct and meets all the requirements. If the information and documentation are not complete to continue with the process, the DIGERPI will make a request for information, which must be answered within 60 working days. If the application is not corrected or supplemented, shall be declared abandoned and lose its priority.
  • Issuance of the report on the State of the Art. This report consists in contrasting or comparing the patent application with the previous “state of the art”, and must be requested within 14 months from the application. It is an official’s opinion that values the three requirements for patentability and leaves the applicant two options: appeal it, or rather rethink everything and present another patent, considering that there is secret until the publication.
  • Publication on the Gazette of Industrial Property of Panama (BORPI, in Spanish) within 18 months from the date of application. This moment opens a 60 days period for filing oppositions.
  • Substantive examination.
  • Granting of the patent. After having passed the substantive examination, within 2 months the granting will be published and the applicant has to pay the fees for the issuing of the title. 

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patent registration in panama

The average duration for a patent process in Panama goes from 1 year and 6 months to 3 years, depending on the specifics of the cases, and is valid for a non-extendible period of 20 years. Besides, during the 20 years, annual payments must be done for the maintenance of the patent´s rights.

 

Why choosing Protectia for the registration of a patent in Panama?

  • Legal advice and patentability study: In Protectia, as a prior step and part of our advice, we always recommend our clients to perform a preliminary study of patentability, essential to detect the existence of prior rights and to be sure that the invention meets the all the requirements to be patented.
  • Resources and experience: we have powerful informatics resources along with the expertise of our professional, ideals to advise, develop and manage the protection of inventions in Panama.
  • Personal treatment: in Protectia we support our clients in a completely personalized way throughout all the process of registration in Panama.