Payment tools by the Intellectual Property Registry in Guatemala
The Intellectual Property Registry is the administrative authority in charge of promoting, stimulating and providing protection to intellectual creations, the latter through a registration procedure established in the Industrial Property Law and its respective rules of procedure.
The procedure for registering a distinctive sign involves a series of stages or phases, namely: a) Submission of the application; b) Substantive and form examination; c) Public notice and publication in the Official Gazette of the Registry of Intellectual Property; d) Opposition period; e) Concession.
For each of these phases or stages previously detailed, in which applies, the payment of an official fee must be made, so that the Registry of Intellectual Property may proceed to make the corresponding notification. For example, the payment of the official fee of the issuance of the public notice must be made, to be notified to the applicant and subsequently the payment of the official fee of the publication, so that the distinctive sign is published in the Official Gazette of the Intellectual Property Registry.
Prior to the new updates, each of these payments could only be made at the bank agency located in that institution and consequently, the waiting line for the payment of official fees could take several hours (taking into account the number of files or cases, multiplied by the number of law firms or interested individuals).
In order to resolve this situation and provide a better service, on November 15, the first informative meeting was held on the implementation of a new system that will allow the payment of the aforementioned procedures, online, through the online banking of Banco de Desarrollo Rural, Sociedad Anónima.
The last adjustments are being made and this implementation is expected to take effect in the first months of next year, which will bring great benefits to all users, as it will make the procedures faster, avoid long waiting lines and at the same time, it will provide more security.
Elizabeth Flores Barrios
Associate
García & Bodán
Guatemala