Prosecution Guidelines in Bolivia

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You will find here all the important information about filing trademarks, designs and patents.
GDP:
$43.07 billion
Imports:
$12.47 billion
Population:
12.10 million
Total area:
1,098,581 km2
Oficial languages:
Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní
Currency:
Boliviano ($B) (BOB)
Local time:
HH:MM:SS
Bolivia
WIPO-administered Treaties:
  • Contracting Party of The Paris Convention: YES.
  • Contracting Party of The Hague Agreement on Industrial Designs: NO.
Applicable Law:

Decision 486 of the Andean Commission Community.

Grace period for filing applications, from disclosure:

6 months.

Multiple design applications -one application for different embodiments- available:

NO.

Formal filing requirements:
  • Power of Attorney, notarized and apostilled.
  • Assignment document apostilled.
  • Certified Priority document (can be filed late within 9 months from original filing date).
  • A graphic or photographic representation of the industrial design, with one graphic view for two-dimensional designs and five graphic views for three-dimensional designs (in JPEG format). In the case of two-dimensional designs incorporated into a flat material, the representation may be replaced with a sample of the product containing the design.
  • The applicant must also adjoin a description of the design.
Locarno classification:

YES.

Deferred publication:

NO.

Registration Proceeding Outline:
  • Filing.
  • Formal examination.
  • Publication.
  • Opposition period.
  • Substantive examination.
  • Decision.
Opposition:

YES, before granting, within 30 working days from the publication. Nullity process (before Patent Office) also available after granting.

Average time from filing to grant:

1-2 Years.

Term of Protection and Maintenance:

10 years from filing date. Currently, no annuity or maintenance fees apply.

Link:
WIPO-administered Treaties:
  • Contracting Party of The Paris Convention: YES.
  • Contracting Party of The Madrid System: NO.
Trademark Law in force:

Decision 486 of the Andean Community. The Andean Pact Decision provides for one common Trade Mark Law among the member countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru). It does not provide a common registration procedure, but it provides for certain reciprocal rights to be available upon request of the trade mark owner. For example, an entity that first applied for registration of a trade mark in any Member Country, may lodge an opposition against a similar mark filed in the other Member Countries.

Trade Mark Act of 1918, which provides national complementary regulations to the Decision 486 of the Andean Community.

Classification:

Nice classification, 11th edition.

Multiclass Applications:

Not possible.

Registrable trademarks:

Words, names, devices and other distinctive signs, including three-dimensional forms, colors, sounds, smells, slogans.

Formal filing requirements:
  • Power of Attorney duly notarized and legalized within 60 working days from the official request.
  • Certified copy of priority application and its translation into Spanish within 9 months from the priority application date.
Examination:
  • Absolute grounds for refusal: YES.
  • Relative grounds for refusal: YES.
Opposition period:

30 working days from the first business day following the publication date.

Average time from filing to grant:

Approximately 9 months unless any obstacles were raised.

Term of protection:

10 years from the date of registration.

Use requirements:

YES. Cancellation can be requested if the trade mark has not been used for 3 years in any member state of the Andean Pact, counting from the registration date. Partial cancellation is possible.

Renewal terms:

6 months prior to renewal date.

Grace period:

6 months.

Link:
WIPO-administered Treaties:
  • Contracting Party of The Paris Convention: YES.
  • Contracting Party of The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): NO.
Patent Law in force:

Decision 486 of the Andean Community.

Types of protection available:
  • Patent of Invention.
  • Utility Model.
  • Layout of integrated circuits.
  • Industrial secrets.
First filing requirements with the local Patent Office for inventions made by nationals:

NO.

Formal filing requirements:
  • Power of Attorney duly notarized and legalized within 60 days from office action.
  • Assignment document from the inventors duly notarized and legalized within 60 days from office action. Not required under certain circumstances.
  • Certified copy of priority application within 16 months from priority date.
Filing of the patent application in a foreign language:

Accepted. Late submission of the Spanish translation within 60 days from office action.

Substantive examination must be requested by the applicant:

YES, within 6 months from publication.

Search report must be requested by the applicant:

NO.

Observations by third parties:

YES, within 60 working days from publication.

Opposition:

YES, within 60 working days from publication.

Average time from filing to grant:

4 years.

Term of protection for patents:

20 years from filing date.

Term of protection for utility models:

10 years from filing date.

Differences between utility model and patent:

UM suitable for utensils, instruments, tools, apparatus, devices, or any parts or improvements thereof, but not to chemical products, methods or uses; lower threshold for inventive step.

Maintenance:

Yearly, also during prosecution of the application.

Marking of the product with the application/ patent number:

NOT mandatory.

Compulsory licensing:

YES..

Link:

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