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BCNChilean legislation National Library of Congress of Chile
Type of norm : Decree with Force of Law 3
Date of publication : June 20, 2006
Date of enactment : March 9, 2006
Body : MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
Title : REVISED, COORDINATED AND SYSTEMATIZED TEXT OF
THE INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW
Type of version : Latest version Date: January 26, 2007
Entry into force : January 26, 2007
Norm ID : 250708
Last amended : JAN 26, 2007 Law 20160
URL : http://www.leychile.cl/N?i=250708&f=20070104&p=
REVISED, COORDINATED AND SYSTEMATIZED TEXT OF THE INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
LAW
Decree with Force of Law 3 – Santiago, March 9, 2006 – Given:
The provisions of Article 64, subparagraph 5, of the Political Constitution of the Republic.
Decree with force of law:
Sole Article – The following text shall be considered the revised, coordinated and
systematized version of Law No. 19,039, the Industrial Property Law.
INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 1
TITLE I Law 19,996
Preliminary provisions Sole Art., No.1
Paragraph 1 Law 19,996
Scope of application
Sole Art., No. 2
Law 19,996
Article 1.– Regulations pertaining to the existence, scope and exercise of
industrial property rights shall be governed by this Law. These rights shall
cover marks, patents, utility models, industrial designs, layout designs or
topographies of integrated circuits, geographical indications and appellations of
origin and any other titles of protection that may be established by law.
Similarly, this Law shall criminalize conduct deemed unfair in respect of
the protection of undisclosed information.
Sole Art., No. 3
Article 2.– Any person, whether natural person or legal entity, Chilean or Law 19,039
foreign, may enjoy the industrial property rights guaranteed by the Political
Constitution, having previously to obtain the relevant title of protection in
accordance with the provisions of this Law. Natural persons or legal entities
Art. No. 2
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resident abroad shall, for the purposes of this Law, appoint an agent or
representative in Chile.
Industrial property rights that have been registered in accordance with the
law shall enter fully into force on the date of registration, without prejudice to
any rights that may fall to the applicant or other rights established under this
Law.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 4
Article 3.– The processing of applications, the grant of titles and other
services relating to industrial property shall be the responsibility of the
Department of Industrial Property, hereinafter referred to as “the Department”,
under the Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction.
Applications may be submitted in person or through an agent.
This Law shall guarantee that the protection afforded by the industrial
property rights regulated therein shall duly safeguard and ensure respect for both
the biological and genetic heritage and national traditional knowledge. The
grant of industrial property rights involving protectable elements, which have
been developed from the material obtained from said heritage or such
knowledge, shall be subject to the condition that such material was acquired
according to the legal system in force.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 5
Paragraph 2 Law 19,996
General procedures for opposition and registration
Sole Art., No. 6
Article 4.– Where a registration application has been filed and accepted Law 19,996
for processing, publication of an extract therefrom in the Official Gazette
[Diario Oficial], in the manner and within the periods established in the
Regulations, shall be mandatory. Errors of publication which, in the opinion of
the Head of the Department are not substantive, may be rectified by means of a
decision ordering such correction in the respective file. In the event of
substantive errors, the Head of the Department shall order a new publication,
which must be made within 10 days, beginning from the date of the decision
ordering the new publication.
Sole Art., No. 7
Article 5.– Any interested party may file an opposition with the Law 19,996
Department to the application for a mark, patent, utility model, industrial design,
layout designs or topographies of integrated circuits, geographical indications or
appellations of origin. The opposition shall be filed within a period of 30 days
beginning from the date of publication of the respective extract.
The period indicated in the previous subparagraph shall be 45 days in the
case of applications for patents, utility models, industrial designs, layout designs
or topographies of integrated circuits, geographical indications and appellations
of origin.
Sole Art., No. 8
In any dispute settlement procedures where the Department is acting as a Law 20,160
court of first instance, parties shall appear represented by an authorized lawyer, Sole Art., No. 1
according to the provisions of Law No. 18,120. D.O. January 26,
2007
Article 6.– Following the periods specified in the preceding Article, the
Head of the Department shall commission an expert report on applications for
patents, utility models, industrial designs or layout designs (topographies) of
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 9
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integrated circuits, in order to verify that it meets the conditions laid down in
Articles 32, 56, 62, and 75 of this Law, as appropriate.
Article 7.– Once the expert report has been commissioned, it must be
issued within 60 days as from the date the expert accepts the mission. This
period may be extended by an additional 60 days where the Head of the
Department deems it necessary.
The report of the expert shall be notified to the parties, who shall have 60
days beginning from such notification, to make whatever comments they may
consider appropriate. This period may be extended once only, during the
proceedings, at the request of the party concerned, for up to 60 days. The
parties’ comments shall be forwarded to the expert, and he shall be given 60
days to respond thereto.
Law 19,996
Sole Art. No. 10
Article 8.– After the expert’s report has been ordered, the applicant shall
have 60 days to provide proof of payment of the corresponding fee. Should he
fail to make payment within this period, the application shall be deemed to have
been abandoned. In special cases, at the request of the expert, the Head of the
Department shall set a specific amount to cover the cost of carrying out the
examination, which the applicant shall pay within 30 days. Said cost shall be
borne by the applicant for the patent, utility model, industrial design, layout
design or topography of an integrated circuit or by the person requesting that the
titles be invalidated.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 11
Article 9.– In procedures where an opposition has been filed, the Law 19,996
applicant shall have 30 days to respond in the case of trademarks, and 45 days in
the case of patents, utility models, industrial designs, layout designs or
topographies of integrated circuits, and geographical indications and
appellations of origin.
Sole Art., No. 12
Article 10.– In the event of any disputes over relevant substantive Law 19,996
matters, evidence shall be heard within a period of 45 days, except for
trademarks, in which case the period shall be 30 days.
This period for receiving evidence may be extended by up to 30 days, in
special cases.
Sole Art., No. 13
Article 10bis.– Where evidence is received, the accompanying documents Law 20,160
shall be submitted in Spanish or duly translated, should the Department so Sole Art., No. 2
require. D.O. January 26,
Once the parties have been summoned to hear the sentence, no briefs or
evidence of any kind shall be accepted, except those referring to the assignment
of applications, settlements, withdrawal or limitation of the petition.
2007
Article 11.– The periods of days specified in this Law and the
Regulations thereunder shall be irrevocable and shall refer to working days, with
Saturday not being considered a working day for those purposes.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 14
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Article 12.– In these procedures, the parties may avail themselves of all Law 19,039
the usual forms of evidence in such matters, and also those indicated in the Code
of Civil Procedure, with the exception of testimony.
The provisions of the second paragraph of Section 64 of the said Code
shall also be applicable in these procedures.
Art. 12
Article 13.– All notifications relating to the procedure for the grant of an Law 20,160
industrial property right, oppositions, revocation and, in general, any matter Sole Art., No. 3
being followed within the Department, shall be made by means of the official D.O. January 26,
notification lists to be prepared by it. Said listings may consist of one or more
lists. Any decision included in said listings shall be deemed to have been
properly notified.
Notification of opposition to an application for registration shall be made
via registered letter sent to the domicile which the applicant indicated in the file.
In such cases, notification shall be deemed to have been made three days
after the letter has been mailed, and shall consist of the sending of a full copy of
the opposition and the interlocutory judgment. In the event that, in addition to
the opposition, substantive comments have been made in respect of the
application for registration, said decision shall also be notified by registered
letter, together with the notification of opposition.
Notification of an action to cancel a registration shall be made under the
terms indicated in Articles 40 ff. of the Code of Civil Procedure, for which
purpose foreign applicants shall indicate an address in Chile. A petition for
revocation of a registration granted to a person without an address or residence
in Chile shall be notified to the agent or representative referred to in Article 2 of
this Law.
All rulings and decisions issued in litigation proceedings before the Head
of the Department shall be signed by him and by the Department’s Legal
Secretary.
All notifications to be made by the Industrial Property Tribunal shall be
made through the official notifications listings, with said listings to be prepared
by the Secretary of that body.
The date and manner in which notification was made shall be recorded in
the file.
2007
Article 14.– Industrial property rights shall be transferable on death and
may be the subject of any type of legal act, which shall be evidenced by at least
a private deed signed before the notary. An extract thereof shall be noted in the
margin of the respective entry.
With regard to transfers involving pending applications for the
registration of industrial property rights, a private deed signed before the notary
and recorded in the respective file shall be sufficient. In all cases, trademarks
shall be indivisible, and none of the elements or characteristics of the distinctive
sign protected by the title may be either partly or separately transferred.
However, it shall be possible to transfer partly a trademark protected by a
registration which includes one or more registered classes that are not related,
whereas the rest of the registration shall remain the property of the rights holder.
Geographical indications and appellations of origin shall be covered by
the provisions of Article 92 of this Law.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 15
RECTIFICATION
D.O. July 25, 2006
Article 15.– Powers relating to industrial property may be granted via Law 19,039
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public or private instrument signed before a notary or before the competent civil
registration official in communes where there is no notary. Mandates from
outside the country may be authorized or authenticated in the presence of the
competent Chilean Consul without any subsequent formality, or in the manner
established in Section 345 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Art. 15
Article 16.– In respect of the proceedings referred to in this paragraph, Law 19,996
evidence shall be assessed in due conscience. Sole Art., No. 16
Article 17.– Cases concerning opposition, the invalidation of registrations
or transfers and any complaint concerning the validity or effects thereof or
concerning industrial property rights in general shall be brought before the Head
of the Department in accordance with the formalities laid down in this Law.
The ruling shall be accompanied by a statement of reasons and shall
conform to the provisions of Article 170 of the Code of Civil Procedure, as
appropriate.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 17
Article 17bis A.– Within 15 days beginning from the date of its
notification, in both the first and second instances, the decisions handed down in
proceedings involving an opposition that contains or is based on manifest errors
of fact may be remedied ex officio or at the request of a party. In respect of
decisions handed down in proceedings with no opposition, these may be
corrected in the same way, up until the expiration of the period set for appealing
the decision that puts an end to the registration procedure.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 18
Article 17bis B.– An appeal may be made against decisions handed down Law 19,996
in first instance by the Head of Department regardless of whether an opposition
has been raised. Such appeal shall be lodged within a period of 15 days
beginning from the time of notification thereof, and shall be heard by the
Industrial Property Tribunal.
The appeal shall be granted on either side and shall have effect against
decisions of a final or interlocutory nature.
An appeal in cassation on the merits may be lodged with the Supreme
Court, against final rulings in second instance.
Appeals shall be made and processed according to the relevant provisions
of the Organic Court Code and the Code of Civil Procedure.
Sole Art., No. 18
Nevertheless, the appellant shall not be required to appear before the Law 20,160
Industrial Property Tribunal to pursue such an appeal. Sole Art., No. 4
D.O. January 26,
2007
Paragraph 3
Industrial Property Tribunal
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 19
Article 17bis C.– The Industrial Property Tribunal, hereinafter referred to Law 19,996
as “the Tribunal”, shall be a special, independent jurisdictional body, subject to
the administrative, corrective and financial supervision of the Supreme Court,
having its seat in the city of Santiago.
The Court shall comprise six judges and four alternates. Each judge shall
Sole Art., No. 20
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be appointed by the President of the Republic, by means of a supreme decree
issued by the Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction, from
among a list proposed by the Supreme Court, prepared on the basis of a public
call for the provision of antecedents. Such call must meet conditions of
objectivity, openness, transparency and nondiscrimination, established pursuant
to a ruling issued by the Supreme Court.
Members of the Tribunal must prove that they have held a law degree for
at least five years. Specialized knowledge of industrial property shall further be
required in the selection of four of the judges and two of the alternates.
Article 17bis D.– The Tribunal shall generally hold sessions in two
chambers and exceptionally in three. Each chamber shall have at least two
judges. To decide on cases brought before it, each chamber shall hold hearings
at least three days a week.
The quorum for holding hearings shall be three members.
Decisions shall be taken by simple majority. In case of a tie, the presiding
judge shall have the casting vote. In respect of all other procedural matters, the
provisions of the Code of Organization of the Judiciary shall be followed.
In complex cases, the Tribunal may also order an expert report and decide
who shall bear the costs thereof, without prejudice to any final decision in
respect of litigation costs. In cases heard by the Tribunal, other than those
related to trademarks, and at the request of any of the parties, the Tribunal shall
order the report of one or more experts. In such cases, these experts shall
participate in the deliberations, with voting rights.
The President of the Tribunal, as well as the President of each chamber,
shall be elected by the respective titular members.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
RECTIFICATION
D.O. July 25, 2006
Article 17bis E.– The monthly remuneration of the members of the
Tribunal shall amount to 50 monthly accounting units for judges and 20 monthly
accounting units for alternates.
Each member of the Tribunal shall further receive the amount of 0.4
monthly accounting units for each case heard and decided. However, the total
amount that each member may receive every month in this regard may not
exceed 50 monthly accounting units.
Law 19,996
Sole Art. No. 20
Article 17bis F.– Members of the Tribunal shall be subject to the grounds
for challenge for cause or recusal laid down in Articles 195 and 196 of the Code
of Organization of the Judiciary.
Such grounds for recusal shall also apply to each member of the Tribunal
if in a case being heard by him, his spouse or any relative up to the third degree
of consanguinity or second degree of affinity; or people who are linked to him
by the entailment of adoption have interests involved, or companies where these
same people are their legal agents, attorneys, directors, managers or perform
other highlevel administrative tasks, or own directly, or through natural persons
or legal entities, a percentage of the company which will enable them to
participate in its administration, or elect or have elected one or more of its
administrators.
The grounds invoked may be accepted by the affected member. If not, the
case shall be heard by the Tribunal, with the exclusion of such member. A fine
payable to the State shall be applied of up to 20 monthly tax units to the party
that invoked the grounds for recusal or disqualification, if the motion was
unanimously rejected.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
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If, for any reason whatsoever, the Tribunal lacks a quorum to function in
at least one chamber, judges of the Santiago Appeals Court may stand in
accordance with the provisions of the Code of Organization of the Judiciary.
The rules set out in Articles 319 to 331 of the Code of Organization of the
Judiciary shall apply to the members of the Tribunal, with the exception of the
provisions of Article 322.
Members and alternates of the Tribunal shall serve threeyear terms, and
may be reappointed for new consecutive terms.
Article 17bis G.– Members of the Industrial Property Tribunal shall leave
office for the following reasons:
(a) expiration of the legal term of appointment;
(b) voluntary resignation;
(c) reaching the age of 75;
(d) dismissal from office for serious dereliction of duties;
(e) sudden disability. This means anything that prevents the member from
performing his duties for a total period of three consecutive months or six
months in a year.
The measures described under (d) and (e) above shall be given effect by
the Supreme Court, at the request of the President of the Tribunal or two of its
members, without prejudice to the disciplinary prerogatives of the Supreme
Court.
The decision ordering a member’s removal shall indicate the factual
grounds for dismissal and the supporting material.
Once the dismissal has been carried out, if the remaining term exceeds
180 days, a replacement shall be appointed according to the rules laid down in
Article 17bis C of this Law. In the cases described in (b), (d) and (e) above, the
replacement shall serve out the remainder of the respective term in the post.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
Article 17bis H.– The Tribunal shall have a guaranteed staff of one
AttorneySecretary, two AttorneyCourt Reporters and four administrative
employees, who shall belong to the UnderSecretariat of Economy,
Development and Reconstruction and shall be permanently assigned to the
Industrial Property Tribunal. They shall follow the rules applicable to the
employees of that UnderSecretariat, except in matters where this is
incompatible with the nature of their duties.
Any of the Court Reporters may replace the Secretary, who may also in
turn replace them.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
Article 17bis I.– The Secretary, the Court Reporters and the
administrative employees may, if necessary, be replaced or substituted by staff
of the UnderSecretariat of Economy, Development and Reconstruction,
provided that they comply with the requirements to perform the duties of the
person they are replacing or substituting for, as the case may be. In addition,
temporary staff may be hired should the Court so require, with prior
authorization by the Budget Office.
The furniture, equipment, materials and any service or material necessary
for the normal functioning of the Tribunal shall be the administrative and
financial responsibility of the UnderSecretariat of Economy, Development and
Reconstruction.
The Public Sector Budget Law shall earmark annually the necessary
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
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resources for the functioning of the Tribunal. To this end, the President of the
Tribunal shall communicate the financial needs to the Minister of Economy,,
Development and Reconstruction, who shall include them along with those of
the Ministry, according to the rules established for the public sector.
Article 17bis J.– The AttorneySecretary shall directly oversee the staff
assigned to the Tribunal for administrative purposes, notwithstanding other
specific functions or duties assigned or delegated by the Tribunal.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
Article 17bis K.– Before taking up their duties, the members of the Law 19,996
Tribunal, Secretary and Reporters shall take an oath or promise to uphold the
Constitution and the laws of the Republic, before the President of the Tribunal,
with the Secretary acting as certifying officer. The President of the Tribunal
shall then take the same oath before the most senior Minister.
Sole Art., No. 20
Paragraph 4
Payment of fees
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 20
Article 18.– The grant of patents, utility models, industrial designs and
layout designs or topographies of integrated circuits shall be subject to the
payment of a fee equivalent to two monthly tax units in respect of every five
year period for which the right is granted. When an application is filed, the
applicant must pay the equivalent of one monthly tax unit, failing which his
application will not be processed. Once the application is accepted, the
remainder of the fee for the first 10 years shall be due for patents, and for the
first five years in the case of utility models, industrial designs and layout designs
or topographies of integrated circuits.
Should the application be rejected, the amount already paid shall inure to
the benefit of the State.
The payment of fees corresponding to the second 10year or fiveyear
period, depending on whether patents, utility models, industrial designs or
layout designs or topographies of integrated circuits are involved, shall be made
before the expiration date of the first 10year or fiveyear period, or within the
six months following the expiration of said period, subject to a surcharge of 20
per cent for each month or fraction of a month, beginning from the first month
of the grace period. If payment is not made within the indicated period, the
rights mentioned in this Article shall lapse.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 22
Article 18bis A.– Applicants for the rights referred to in the previous
Article who lack financial means may obtain registration without the need to
pay fees of any kind. To enjoy such benefit, the applicant must attach to the
corresponding application a sworn statement declaring a lack of financial means,
together with the documents required by the Regulations under this Law.
Once the benefit is granted, the rights holder shall not be obliged to make
the payments referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 18, and may defer
any remaining payment for the successive years, as stipulated in the
Regulations. An entry shall be made in the Register concerning the deferral and
the obligation to pay the deferred amount. This obligation shall apply to anyone
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 23
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who is the holder of the registration.
Payment of the cost of the expert report referred to in Article 6 of this
Law shall also be deferred, and the Head of the Department shall appoint an
expert from a roster which the Department shall keep for this purpose, according
to the rotation system established by the Regulations under this Law. The
expert must accept the obligation under penalty of being removed from the
roster, and perform it with due diligence and promptness. Similarly, an entry
shall be made in the Register indicating the name of the examiner who has
prepared the report and the fees charged, which must be paid on the date
established in the Regulations by the person who appears as the owner of the
registration.
If the deferred expert fees are not paid on time, the Department shall
declare the patent as having lapsed.
Article 18bis B.– The registration of trademarks, geographical indications
and appellations of origin shall be subject to the payment of a fee equivalent to
three monthly tax units. When the application is filed, the applicant shall pay an
application fee equivalent to one monthly tax unit, failing which his application
shall not be processed. Once the application is accepted, the remainder of the
fee shall be paid. If the application is rejected, the amount already paid shall
inure to the benefit of the State.
The renewal of trademark registrations shall be subject to payment of
twice the fee amount indicated in the above subparagraph. Payment may be
made within the six months following the expiration date of the registration,
subject to a surcharge of 20 per cent of the rate for each month or fraction of a
month, beginning from the first month of the expiration of the term established
in Article 24 of this Law.
Geographical indications and appellations of origin shall not be subject to
payment of the renewal fee for trademarks indicated in the above subparagraph.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 23
Article 18bis C.– The filing of appeals shall be subject to payment of a Law 19,996
fee equivalent to two monthly tax units, and shall be accompanied by the
respective proof of payment. If the appeal is accepted, the Industrial Property
Tribunal shall order the reimbursement of the amount paid according to the
procedure established in the Regulations.
Sole Art., No. 23
Article 18bis D.– Transfers of ownership, licenses for use, pledges and
changes of name or any other type of encumbrance affecting a patent, utility
model, industrial design, trademark or layout design or topography of integrated
circuits, shall be recorded following payment of a fee equivalent to one monthly
tax unit. Such acts may not be invoked against third parties until they have been
registered with the Department.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 23
Article 18bis E.– All the fees provided for in the above Articles shall
inure to the benefit of the State and shall be paid to the Department within a
period of 60 days beginning from the date of the decision authorizing entry in
the relevant register, failing which the application shall be considered
abandoned and shall be shelved.
Notification of said decision shall be made by registered letter, in the
manner established in the Regulations.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 23
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Article 18bis F.– Registrations of trademarks that identify services and
are restricted to one or more provinces shall be deemed to extend throughout the
national territory.
Trademark registrations to protect commercial establishments in a certain
province or provinces shall be deemed to cover the whole of the region(s) in
which the respective provinces are located..
The holders of registrations mentioned in the two preceding
subparagraphs who, for the purposes of this Section, extend the territorial
protection of their marks, may not provide services or install commercial
establishments protected by those marks in provinces in which the same or
similar marks have been registered for services or establishments of the same
type, on pain of liability for the offense referred to in Article 28(a) of this Law.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 23
Paragraph 5 Law 20,160
Sole Art., No. 5
Procedure for cancellation of a registration D.O. January 26,
2007
Article 18bis G.– Any interested party may request the cancellation of a Law 20,160
registration of an industrial property right. Sole Art., No. 6
D.O. January 26,
The cancellation claim shall contain at least the following information.
(a) name, address and occupation of the claimant.
(b) name, address and occupation of the plaintiff;
(c) the number and date of the registration for which invalidation is
sought, and individualization of the respective fee.
(d) facts and legal reasons on which the claim is founded.
2007
Article 18bis H.– In the case of patents and utility models, cancellation Law 20,160
may be requested for the whole of the registration or one or more of its claims. Sole Art., No. 6
D.O. January 26,
2007
Article 18bis I.– Notice of the claim shall be served to the holder of the Law 20,160
industrial property right or his representative. Said term shall be 60 days in the Sole Art., No. 6
case of patents, utility models, industrial designs, layout designs or topographies D.O. January 26,
of integrated circuits, geographical indications or appellations or origin. In the
case of trademarks, said notice shall be 30 days.
2007
Article 18bis J.– Following the response to the cancellation claim for a Law 20,150
patent, utility model, industrial design, layout design or topography of an Sole Art., No. 6
integrated circuit, geographical indication or appellation of origin, or failing a D.O. January 26,
response by the plaintiff, a report by one or more experts shall be ordered
regarding the facts contained in the claim and the corresponding response. The
expert shall be appointed in a hearing by mutual agreement of the parties or by
the Head of the Department if there were no agreement or the hearing is not held
for any reason.
2007
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Nevertheless, a party that deems itself aggrieved by the report issued by
the expert may ask for a second report, in which case the procedure shall be that
established in this Article.
The Head of the Department may, at any time, hear the expert or experts
who issued the report at the time registration was requested, as background for
better resolving the matter.
Article 18bis K.– If an expert is appointed by the Head of the Law 20,160
Department, the parties may object, within five days following the decision Sole Art., No. 6
appointing him, solely on one or more of the following grounds: D.O. January 26,
(a) for having publicly expressed an opinion on the matter;
(b) for relation of kinship, evident friendship or enmity with one of the
parties;
(c) for lack of aptitude or competence regarding the matter submitted for
his consideration;
(d) for having rendered professional services, dependently or
independently, to any of the parties in the last five years or for having had
economic or business relations with any of them during the same period.
The other party shall be given 20 days to respond to a writ objecting to an
expert, and with said response or in default thereof, the Head of the Department
shall decide the issue with no further formality.
The expert report shall be made known to the parties, who shall have 60
days to comment thereon.
In the event of any disputes over relevant substantive matters, the Head of
the Department shall set a period of 45 days for receiving evidence, which may
be extended for a further 45 days in duly specified cases.
On the basis of the views put forward by the parties and the expert report,
the Head of the Department shall take a decision on the cancellation requested.
2007
Article 18bis L.– In trademark disputes, once the term for responding to Law 20,160
the claim has expired and if there are disputes over relevant substantive matters, Sole Art., No. 6
the Head of the Department shall set a period of 30 days for receiving evidence, D.O. January 26,
which may be extended for a further 30 days in cases duly specified by him. 2007
Article 18bisM.– The rules contained in Articles 10bis, 12 and 16 of this Law 20,160
Law shall apply to the procedure for cancellation. Sole Art., No. 6
D.O. January 26,
2007
Article 18bis N.– A registration that has been cancelled shall be deemed Law 20,160
null and void from its date of validity. Sole Art., No. 6
The decision declaring the cancellation of the registration, in full or in D.O. January 26,
part, shall be recorded in the margin of the respective registration. 2007
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Article 18bis O.– The procedure set out in this paragraph shall apply to Law 20,160
other processes within the competence of the Head of the Department, according Sole Art., No. 6
to the provisions laid down in Article 17 of this Law. D.O. January 26,
2007
TITLE II
Trademarks
Law 19,039
Article 19.– The term “trademark” shall mean any sign able to be Law 19,996
represented graphically that serves to distinguish products, services or industrial
or commercial establishments on the market. Such signs may consist of names
of persons, letters, numbers, figurative elements such as pictures, graphs,
symbols, combinations of colors, sounds, as well as any combination of such
signs. Where the signs are not intrinsically distinct, they may be registered if
they have acquired distinctiveness through use on the national market.
Promotional or advertising slogans may also be registered, on condition
that they are combined or associated with a registered trademark for the product,
service or commercial or industrial establishment for which they are to be used.
The nature of the product or service to which the trademark refers shall
never be an obstacle for trademark registration.
Sole Art., No. 24
Law 20,160
Article 19bis.– Where an application is filed for the registration of a mark for Sole Art., No. 8
the benefit of two or more rights holders, they may, acting jointly, also require D.O. January 26,
the registration of rules for the use and supervision thereof, which shall be
mandatory for the rights holders and binding on third parties. In this case, the
holders in common may waive the right to request the division of the
community for a given period or indefinitely.
The Department may object to the registration of the regulations if they
contain provisions that are illegal or likely to mislead or confuse consumers.
The regulations for use and supervision shall be filed with the trademark
application and decided jointly with said application. The Department may
make observations until it issues its final decision, which must be corrected
within 60 days.
Noncompliance by any of the holders in common with the rules set out in
the regulations for use and supervision shall entitle the other holder or holders in
common to initiate legal action for forced enforcement and/or claim damages,
according to the rules set out in Title X of this Law.
A mark may be registered, with the same procedure and effects, to be used
collectively, for the purpose of guaranteeing the nature or quality of specific
products or services. In this case, the mark may not be assigned to third parties.
2007
Article 19bis A.– Cancellation or revocation for nonpayment of the
renewal fees shall produce the same effects in respect of the promotional
sentences that form part of the registration. Consequently, once a mark has been
cancelled or revoked, the Department shall cancel as of right registrations of
promotional sentences that depend on the cancelled or revoked mark. A record
shall be kept thereof by means of a subentry in the margin of the corresponding
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 25
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page 13
registration.
Article 19bis B.– Promotional sentences may not be assigned or
transferred, other than with the main registration to which they are attached.
Article 19bis C.– Registrations of marks that contain signs, figures,
letters, colors, prefixes, suffixes, roots or segments in common use or likely to
be of a generic, indicative or descriptive nature, shall be deemed to confer
protection on the mark as a whole and shall be granted with the express
indication that they are granted without protection for the said elements
considered in isolation.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 25
Article 19bis D.– The mark shall confer on its holder the exclusive and
excluding right to use it in trade in the manner it has been granted and to
distinguish products, services or business or industrial establishments covered
by the registration.
Accordingly, the holder of a registered trademark may prevent any third
party from using in the market, without his consent, identical or similar marks
for products or services or business or industrial establishments that are identical
or similar to those for which the registration has been granted, where such use
by a third party is likely to mislead or create confusion.
Where the use made by a third party refers to an identical trademark for
identical products or services or business or industrial establishments, confusion
shall be deemed to have arisen.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 25
Article 19bis E.– The right conferred by the registration of the trademark Law 19,996
shall not authorize its holder to prevent third parties from using the same in
respect of products legitimately marketed under that trademark in any country
by said holder or with his express consent.
Sole Art., No. 25
Article 20.– The following may not be registered as marks:
(a) the coats of arms, flags or other emblems, names or symbols of any
State, international organizations or public services of a State;
(b) technical or scientific names for the object for which they are
intended, names of plant varieties, common international names recommended
by the World Health Organization, and names indicating therapeutic properties;
(c) the name, pseudonym or likeness of any natural person, except with
the consent of that person or of his heirs where he is deceased. The names of
historical figures may, however, be registered if at least 50 years have elapsed
since their death, and on condition that their honor is not thereby prejudiced;
Names of persons may in any event not be registered when this would
constitute an infringement of subparagraphs (e), (f), (g) and (h) below;
(d) marks that reproduce or imitate official signs or hallmarks of control
or warranty adopted by a State, without the authorization of the State; and those
that reproduce or imitate medals, diplomas or distinctions awarded at national or
foreign exhibitions, where the registration thereof is applied for by a person
other than the person who won them;
(e) expressions or signs used to indicate the type, nature, origin,
nationality, source, destination, weight, value or quality of the products, services
or establishments; expressions that may be in general use in trade to describe a
certain class of products, services or establishments, and those that have no
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 26
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page 14
novel character or merely describe the products, services or establishments to
which they are to be applied;
(f) expressions likely to mislead or deceive as to the source, quality or
type of the products, services or establishments, including those that belong to
different classes whose coverage is related to or indicates a connection with the
respective products, services or establishments;
(g) identical marks or marks that graphically or phonetically so resemble
one another as to be confused with other marks registered abroad for the same
products, services or business or industrial establishments, insofar as the latter
marks enjoy fame and renown in the relevant segment of the public that usually
consumes or seeks out those products or has access to those business or
industrial establishments in the country of origin of the registration;
Where registration has been refused or cancelled on such grounds, the
owner of the wellknown mark registered abroad shall request registration of the
mark within a period of 90 days; if he fails to do so, the mark may be filed by
any person, priority being given for the 90 days following the expiry of the right
of the owner of the mark registered abroad to that person whose application was
rejected or whose registration was cancelled.
Similarly, marks registered in Chile that enjoy fame and renown may
block the registration of other identical or similar signs applied for to distinguish
separate and unrelated products or services or business or industrial
establishments, provided, first, that such signs retain some kind of link with the
products or services or business or industrial establishments that distinguish the
wellknown mark and, second, that it is likely that such protection would harm
the interests of the holder of the wellknown registered mark.
In this case, the fame and renown shall be determined for the relevant
sector of the public that normally consumes those products, requests such
services or patronizes those business or industrial establishments in Chile;
(h) identical marks or marks that graphically or phonetically so resemble
one another as to be confused with other marks that have been previously
registered or validly filed with priority for identical or similar products or
services or business or industrial establishments that belong to the same class or
related classes.
These grounds shall also apply in respect of those unregistered marks that
are really and effectively used prior to the application for registration on the
national territory. If the registration is refused or cancelled on these grounds,
the user of the mark shall apply for its registration within 90 days. If he fails to
do so, the mark may be filed by anyone, priority being given for the 90 days
following the expiry of the user’s right to that person whose application was
rejected or whose registration was cancelled.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the first paragraph under letter (h), the
Department may accept agreements for the coexistence of marks, provided that
such agreements do not infringe rights acquired by third parties prior to that date
or cause confusion among public consumers;
(i) the form or color of the products or packaging, in addition to the
color in itself; Law 20,160
(j) marks likely to mislead or create confusion among public consumers, Sole Art., No. 9
in respect of the source or attributes of the product that a geographical indication D.O. January 26,
or appellation of origin is intended to distinguish in Chile;
(k) marks contrary to public policy, morality and proper practice,
including the principles of fair competition and trade ethics.
2007
Article 20bis.– Where a request for trademark registration has been
previously filed abroad, the applicant shall enjoy priority for a period of six
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 27
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page 15
months beginning from the filing date in the country of origin, to file the
application in Chile.
Article 21.– The registration of trademarks shall take place at the Law 19,039
Department, and applications for registration shall be filed in accordance with
the provisions and in the manner established by the Regulations.
Art. 21
Article 22.– After an application has been filed, the Registrar of Marks
shall ensure that the formalities required for a valid filing have been fulfilled. If
the Registrar finds any error or omission in this formal examination, the
applicant shall be advised to make the relevant corrections or clarifications
within a 30day period, failing which he shall forfeit his priority date. If the
correction is not made within the period indicated, the application shall be
deemed abandoned. An appeal against a decision not to process an application
may be filed with the Head of the Department, in accordance with general rules.
If the correction is not made or the appeal is rejected, the application shall be
deemed abandoned.
If the Head of the Department accepts an application for processing, it
may not be subsequently rejected ex officio on the same legal grounds and
reasoning as those put forward by an official during the appeal process.
If other actions are required to overcome the objection raised against an
application, the applicant shall be entitled to request that the procedure be
suspended until such formalities have been completed. If the formalities serving
as the basis for the petition have not been initiated within 60 days beginning
from the date where this is legally possible, the application shall be deemed
abandoned.
Once the period to file an opposition has expired, the Head of the
Department shall analyze the merits of the application and indicate whether
there are grounds to reject the petition ex officio.
These observations shall be notified to the applicant, who shall respond
thereto in the same term set to respond to and challenge any oppositions that
may have been filed.
Once the indicated period has expired and the other actions ordered in the
proceedings have been completed, the Head of the Department shall hand down
his final decision accepting or rejecting the application. In this case, the
application may not be rejected on grounds different from the ones contained in
the oppositions or in the observations of the Head of the Department.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 28
Article 23.– A mark may only be applied for and registered for specific Law 19,996
products or services, with an indication of the class or classes of the
International Classification to which they belong.
Similarly, marks may be applied for and registered for the purposes of
distinguishing business or industrial establishments engaged in manufacturing or
marketing activities associated with one or more classes of specific products, as
they may for promotional slogans to be used in the advertising of marks already
registered.
Sole Art., No. 29
Article 23bis A.– For the purposes of the payment of fees, an application Law 19,996
or registration of a mark for products or services shall be treated as a separate
application or registration for each class, regardless of the number of specific
products or services included therein. The provisions of the above Article shall
also apply to the various classes of products included in the coverage for the
Sole Art., No. 30
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page 16
industrial and business establishments. Said principle shall cover both new
registrations and renewals of registrations.
Article 23bis B.– Registrations of marks to distinguish products or
services or industrial establishments shall be valid throughout the Republic.
Registrations of marks to protect business establishments shall serve only
for the region in which the establishment is located. If the interested party
wishes to extend ownership of the same mark to other regions, he shall mention
this in his application for registration and shall pay the corresponding
application or registration fee for each region.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 30
Article 24.– The registration of a mark shall have a term of 10 years, Law 19,039
beginning from the date of entry in the respective register. The holder shall be
entitled to request renewal for equal periods during that term or within 30 days
following the expiration thereof.
Art. 24
Article 25.– Any registered mark used in trade shall visibly display the Law 19,039
words “Marca Registrada” or the abbreviation “M.R.” or the letter “R” inside a
circle. Failure to do so shall not affect the validity of the registered trademark,
but a person who fails to comply with this requirement shall not be able to bring
the criminal actions provided for in this Law.
Art. 25
Article 26.– The registration of trademarks shall be invalidated where one Law 19,039
of the prohibitions referred to in Article 20 of this Law has been violated. Art. 26
Article 27.– An action to invalidate the registration of a mark shall be Law 19,996
barred after five years, beginning from the date of registration.
The aforegoing action for invalidation shall not be barred in respect of
registrations obtained in bad faith.
Sole Art., No. 31
Article 28.– The following persons shall be sentenced to a fine of 25 to
1,000 monthly accounting units payable to the State:
(a) anyone who with ill intent and for commercial purposes, uses a mark
identical or similar to another already registered for the same products or
services or establishments, or in relation to products, services or establishments
related to those covered by the registered mark, notwithstanding the provisions
of Article 19bis E;
(b) anyone who, for commercial purposes, uses an unregistered, lapsed
or invalidated mark in a manner indicating that it is a registered mark or
imitating a registered mark;
(c) anyone who, for commercial purposes, uses containers or packaging
bearing a registered mark, without the right to use that mark, without having
first previously erased it, except where the packaging so marked is intended to
contain products of a type different from that protected by the mark.
Any person committing a second or subsequent offense within five years
of the application of a fine shall receive another fine of no less than double the
preceding fine, up to a maximum amount of 2,000 monthly accounting units.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 32
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page 17
Article 29.– Persons found guilty under the preceding Article shall be Law 19,996
obliged to pay the costs, damages and harm caused to the owner of the mark.
The tools and equipment used directly for the counterfeiting or imitation
and the objects bearing counterfeit marks shall be confiscated. Objects bearing
a counterfeit mark shall be destroyed. As for the tools and equipment used, the
competent court may order their destruction or their distribution for charity.
Sole Art. No. 33
Article 30.– Where an unregistered mark has been used by two or more
persons at the same time, the one who registers it may not prosecute any persons Law 19,996
who continue to use it for at least 180 days from the date of registration.
Similarly, once a mark has been invalidated, the holder of the registration
that provided the basis for declaring the invalidation may not prosecute the
holder of the invalidated mark for at least 180 days after the respective decision
has gone into effect.
Sole Art. No. 34
TITLE III Law 19,996
Inventions Sole Art. No. 1
Paragraph I Inventions in general Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 1
Law 20160
Sole Art., No. 10
D.O. January 26,
Article 31.– The word “invention” shall mean any solution to a technical 2007
problem arising in an industrial concern. An invention may be or relate to a Law 19,996
product or process.
The word “patent” shall mean the exclusive right granted by the State for
the protection of an invention. The effects, obligations and limitations
embodied in the patent shall be determined by this Law.
Sole Art., No. 35
Article 31bis.– For the purposes of civil proceedings for infringement of
process patents , the judge shall have the authority to order the defendant to
prove that the process to obtain a product is different from the patented process,
subject to the condition that the product obtained by the patented process is new.
In such proceedings, unless proven otherwise, all identical products shall
be deemed to have been obtained by the patented process.
For the purposes of this Article, the product shall be considered “new” if
it at least complies with the requirement of novelty in Article 33, on the date the
application for the process patent was filed in Chile or on the date of priority
validated in Chile, according to Article 34. For such qualification, the judge
shall request a report from the Head of the Department, at the applicant’s cost.
Notwithstanding, in respect of the submission of evidence to the contrary,
the legitimate interests of defendants in protecting their industrial and trade
secrets shall be taken into consideration.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 36
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Article 32.– Any invention, whether product or process, in any field of Law 19,996
technology, shall be patentable where it is new, involves an inventive step and is
industrially applicable.
Sole Art., No. 37
Article 33.– An invention shall be considered new if it does not already Law 19,996
form part of the state of the art. The state of the art shall be held to comprise
everything disclosed or made available to the public anywhere in the world by
publication in tangible form, sale or marketing or use, or in any other manner,
before the date of filing of the patent application in Chile or the priority claimed
according to Article 34.
The subject matter of national applications for patents or utility models
that have been filed with the Department prior to the date of the application
being examined and have been published on that date or subsequently shall also
be regarded as forming part of the state of the art.
Sole Art., No. 38
Article 34.– Where a patent has been applied for previously abroad, the Law 19,039
party concerned shall have priority for a period of one year, beginning from the
date of filing in the country of origin, for the filing of an application in Chile.
Art. 34
Article 35.– An invention shall be regarded as involving an inventive step Law 19,039
if it is neither obvious to a person skilled in the art nor is obvious from the state
of the art.
Art. 35
Article 36.– An invention shall be considered industrially applicable if it Law 19,039
can, in principle, be made or used in any kind of industry. For such purposes,
the word “industry” shall be understood in its broadest sense, including
activities such as manufacturing, mining, building, crafts, agriculture, forestry
and fishing.
Art. 36
Article 37.– The following shall not be regarded as inventions and shall
be excluded from the patent protection afforded by this Law:
(a) discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods;
(b) plant or animal varieties, except microorganisms that meet the
general requirements for patentability. Plant varieties shall only enjoy
protection in accordance with the provisions of Law 19,342, on Rights of
Breeders of New Plant Varieties. Nor may essentially biological processes for
the production of plants and animals, except microbiological processes, be
patented. For these purposes, the words “an essentially biological process” shall
mean one that consists entirely of natural phenomena, such as crossing and
selection;
(c) economic, financial, commercial, business or easily verifiable
systems, methods, principles or plans; and the rules for performing purely
mental or intellectual activities or playing games;
(d) methods for treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or
therapy and diagnostic methods practiced on the human or animal body, except
products for use in any of these methods;
(e) new uses of articles, objects or elements known and already used for
specific purposes, and changes of shape, dimensions, proportions or materials.
Notwithstanding the aforegoing, the new use of known articles, objects or
elements may constitute an invention that qualifies for protection, if said new
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 39
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page 19
use solves a technical problem that did not previously have an equivalent
solution, complies with the requirements referred to in Article 32, and requires
changes in dimensions, proportions or materials of the known article, object or
known element for obtaining said solution to such a technical problem. The
claimed new use shall have to be proven by means of experimental evidence in
the patent application;
(f) parts of living beings as they are found in nature, natural biological
processes, biological material existing in nature or material that can be isolated,
including genomes or germoplasm. Nevertheless, procedures that use one or
more of the biological materials mentioned above and products directly obtained
by such procedures shall be eligible for protection, provided that they comply
with the requirements established in Article 32 of this Law, insofar as the
biological material is adequately described and the industrial application thereof
is explicitly outlined in the patent application.
Article 38.– Patents may not be granted for inventions whose commercial Law 19,996
exploitation must necessarily be prevented to protect public order, State
security, morality or proper practice, the health or life of persons or animals, or
to preserve plants or the environment, provided that such exclusion is not solely
for the purposes of a legal or administration provision that prohibits or regulates
such exploitation.
Sole Art., No. 40
Article 39.– Patents for inventions shall be granted for a nonrenewable Law 19,996
period of 20 years, beginning from the date of filing of the application. Sole Art., No. 41
Article 40.– Repealed. Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 42
Article 41.– Repealed. Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 42
Article 42.– Disclosures made within 12 months prior to the filing of the Law 20,160
application shall not be considered for purposes of determining the novelty of Sole Art., No. 11
the invention or the inventive step, if the public disclosure: D.O. January 26,
(a) was made, authorized by or comes from the applicant for the patent;
(b) has been made or arises from abuse or unfair practices to which the
applicant or the inventor has been subjected.
2007
Article 43.– The patent application shall be accompanied by the
following documents:
an abstract of the invention; Law 19,996
a description of the invention;
a claims sheet;
drawings of the invention where appropriate.
Sole Art., No. 44
Article 43bis.– The abstract shall be for exclusively technical purposes
and may not be considered for any other purpose, not even for the determination Law 19,996
of the scope of protection sought. Sole Art., No. 45
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page 20
The claims shall define the subject matter for which protection is sought.
They must be clear and concise and be based on the description.
The description shall be sufficiently clear and complete for an expert or a
person skilled in the art to reproduce the invention without need of any other
information.
Article 44.– Declarations relating to the novelty, ownership and
usefulness of the invention shall be incumbent on the interested party, who shall
make them subject to his own responsibility.
The grant of a patent shall not mean that the State guarantees the need for
and accuracy of the information provided by the applicant in the application and
the description.
Law 19,039
Art. 44
Article 45.– Once the application has been filed with the Department, a
preliminary examination shall be conducted to verify that the documents listed
in Article 43 have been attached. Should the preliminary examination reveal an
error or omission, the applicant shall be asked to make the necessary corrections
or clarifications or submit any other pertinent documents within 60 days, failing
which he shall lose his priority date. If the errors or omissions are not corrected
within the indicated term, the application shall be deemed not to have been filed.
Applications that do not comply with other filing requirements, within the
periods indicated in this Law or the Regulations thereunder, shall be deemed to
have been abandoned and shall be shelved. Without prejudice to the above, the
applicant may request reinstatement of the application, provided that the filing
requirements are corrected within 120 days from the date of abandonment,
failing which he shall lose his right of priority. If the period expires and errors
or omissions have not been corrected, applications shall be deemed to have been
abandoned for good.
If it can be deduced from the examination of an application for an
industrial property right that the right claimed belongs to another category, it
shall be examined and treated as such, and the acquired priority date retained.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 46
Article 46.– Applicants for patents already applied for in other countries Law 19,039
shall submit the result of any search and examination already undertaken by the
office in the other country, where this has been disclosed, whether or not the
earlier application resulted in the grant of a patent.
Art. 46
Article 47.– All the supporting material relating to a patent application Law 19,039
shall be kept at the disposal of the public in the Department following the
publication referred to in Article 4.
Art. 47
Article 48.– Once the patent grant has been approved and payment of the Law 19,039
corresponding fees made, the patent shall be granted to the interested party and a
certificate issued according protection as from the date on which the application
was filed.
Art. 48
Article 49.– The owner of a patent for an invention shall have the Law 19,996
exclusive right to manufacture, sell or market in any form the product or other
subject matter of the invention and generally to exploit it commercially in any
Sole Art., No. 47
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page 21
other way.
In the case of process patents, protection shall extend to the products
directly obtained by such process.
The scope of the protection granted by the patent or patent application
shall be determined by the subject matter of the claims. Descriptions and
drawings shall be used to interpret the claims.
The patent rights shall extend throughout the Republic until the day on
which the patent expires.
The patent for an invention shall not confer the right to prevent third
parties from marketing the product protected by the patent, which they may have
legitimately acquired after said product has been legally introduced onto the
market of any country, by the owner of the right or by a third party, with the
owner’s consent.
Nor shall the patent for an invention confer the right to prevent third
parties from importing, exporting, manufacturing or producing the subject
matter protected by a patent with the purpose of obtaining the sanitary
registration or authorization of a pharmaceutical product. The above shall not
allow the marketing of said products without the authorization of the patent
holder.
Law 20,160
Sole Art. No. 12
D.O. January 26,
2007
RECTIFICATION
D.O. July 25, 2006
Law 20,160
Sole Art., No. 12
D.O. January 26,
2007
Article 50.– A patent may be invalidated on any of the following
grounds:
(a) where the person who obtained the patent is neither the inventor nor
his licensee;
(b) where the patent has been granted on the basis of erroneous or
manifestly deficient examiners’ reports;
(c) where the title has been granted in contravention of the rules of
patentability and related requirements, as provided for in this Law.
A patent for an invention may be the subject of an invalidation action
during a period of five years, beginning from the date of registration.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 48
Article 51.– Nonvoluntary licenses may be granted in the following
cases:
(1) where the holder of a patent has engaged in conduct or practices
declared contrary to free competition, directly related to the use or exploitation
of the patent in question, according to a final decision by the Antitrust Tribunal;
(2) where the granting of such licenses may be justified for reasons of
public health, national security, noncommercial public use or on other
extremely urgent grounds declared by the competent authority;
(3) where the purpose of the nonvoluntary license is the exploitation of
a subsequent patent that could not be worked without infringing a previous
patent. The granting of nonvoluntary licenses for dependent patents shall be
subject to the following rules:
(a) the invention claimed in the subsequent patent must involve a
technical advance of considerable economic significance in relation to the
invention claimed in the first patent;
(b) the nonvoluntary license to work the earlier patent may only be
transferred with the later patent;
(c) the holder of the earlier patent could, in the same circumstances,
obtain a nonvoluntary license on reasonable terms to work the invention
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 49
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claimed in the later patent.
In the case of semiconductor technology, the license shall only be granted
for noncommercial public purposes or to remedy a practice that has been
declared anticompetitive.
Article 51bis A.– Any person applying for a nonvoluntary license must
prove that he has made efforts to obtain a contractual license from the patent
holder on reasonable commercial terms and conditions and that such efforts
have not been successful within a reasonable period. This requirement shall not
be necessary in relation to the grounds set out in Article 51.2 of this Law. Nor
shall this requirement apply where the purpose of the nonvoluntary license is to
stop practices deemed anticompetitive.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 50
Article 51bis B.– An application for the granting of a nonvoluntary
license shall be considered a claim and must therefore comply with all of the
requirements set out in Article 254 of the Code of Civil Procedure. This action
shall be heard by the following authorities:
(a) in the case of Article 51.1, the Antitrust Tribunal, according to the
procedure established in Law No. 19,911;
(b) in the case of Article 51.2, the Head of the Department of Industrial
Property, according to the procedure for cancellation of patents established in
this Law. Moreover, the action may be temporarily granted through a reasoned
decision to resolve a particular incident. Such decision shall remain in force as
long as the grounds that motivated the decision obtain or until a final decision
has been issued;
(c) in the case of Article 51.3, a civil court judge, in conformity with the
competition rules established in the Code of Civil Procedure and according to
summary proceedings.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 50
Article 51bis C.– The competent authority shall decide on an application Law 19,996
for a nonvoluntary license according to its specific merits.
If said decision is positive, the Antitrust Tribunal, the Head of the
Department or the civil court judge, depending on whether the case involves
subparagraphs (a), (b) or (c) of Article 51, shall determine the term and scope of
the license, limiting it to the purposes for which it was granted. They shall
further decide the amount of remuneration to be periodically paid by the
licensee to the patent owner. The license granted through this procedure shall
be nonexclusive and may not be assigned, except with that part of the company
holding the patent.
Sole Art., No. 50
Article 51bis D.– A nonvoluntary license may be completely or partially Law 19,996
revoked, provided that the legitimate interests of the licensee are protected,
where the circumstances giving rise to the nonvoluntary license have ceased to
obtain and are not likely to recur. Following a wellfounded request and after
appropriate consultation with the competent authority, the Antitrust Tribunal,
the Head of the Department or a civil court judge, as appropriate, may examine
whether such circumstances still obtain.
In cases where the circumstances giving rise to the grant of the non
voluntary license are likely to recur, the motion to revoke a nonvoluntary
Sole Art., No. 50
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license shall not be granted. Likewise, at the request of an interested party, the
Antitrust Tribunal, the Head of the Department or a civil court judge, as
appropriate, may amend the terms of a nonvoluntary license where new facts or
circumstances so warrant, especially where the patent owner has granted
contractual licenses on more favorable terms than the ones agreed upon for the
beneficiary of the nonvoluntary license.
In proceedings involving a request for a nonvoluntary license, in the
cases covered by subparagraphs (a) and (c) of Article 51, the Department must
be heard before a decision is issued.
Article 52.– The following persons shall be subject to a fine of 25 to Law 19,996
1,000 monthly accounting units payable to the State:
(a) any person who with ill intent manufactures, uses, offers or
introduces to the market, imports or is in possession of a patented invention, for
commercial purposes, notwithstanding the provisions of the fifth subparagraph
of Article 49;
(b) any person who, for commercial purposes, uses an object which is
not patented or whose patent has lapsed or has been invalidated, using on such
object indications corresponding to a patent or simulating such indications;
(c) any person who with ill intent uses a patented procedure for
commercial purposes;
(d) any person who with ill intent imitates or uses an invention, the
patent application for which is pending, unless the patent is finally not granted.
Persons found guilty under this Article shall be sentenced to pay the costs,
damages and prejudice caused to the owner of the patent.
The tools and equipment used directly in committing any of the offenses
mentioned in this Article shall be confiscated. Unlawfully produced objects shall
be destroyed. As for the tools and equipment used, the competent court may
order their destruction or their distribution for charity.
Any person committing a second or subsequent offense within five years
from the date of a fine shall be sentenced to another fine of at least double the
initial fine, up to a maximum amount of 2,000 monthly accounting units.
Sole Art., No. 51
Law 19,996
Article 53.– Any patented subject matter shall display visibly the number
of the patent either on the product itself or on the packaging, and the words
“Patente de Invención” [invention patent] or the abbreviation “PI”, followed by
the registration number.
The only exceptions to the above obligation shall be processes whose
nature is such that the requirement cannot be met.
Failure to meet the requirement shall not affect the validity of the patent,
but a person who does not comply with this provision may not bring the
criminal actions referred to in this Law.
Where applications are pending, this shall be indicated where the products
concerned by the application are being manufactured or marketed for
commercial purposes.
Sole Art., No. 52
Paragraph II. Additional protection Law 20,160
Sole Art., No. 13
D.O. January 26,
Article 53bis 1.– Within six months after the granting of a patent, its 2007
holder shall be entitled to request a period of additional protection, provided that Law 20,160
there has been an unjustified administrative delay in the grant of the patent and Sole Art., No. 13
n:\appletx\process\chile ve\cl046en.doc RD/jaj 05.09.2012
page 24
the term for the grant was more than five years from the date of filing of the D.O. January 26,
application or three years from the requirement for examination, whichever
comes later. Additional protection shall only cover the period proved to be an
unjustified administrative delay.
2007
Article 53bis 2.– Within six months after the grant of a sanitary
registration for a pharmaceutical product protected by a patent, its holder shall
be entitled to request a period of additional protection for that part of the patent Law 20,160
containing the pharmaceutical product, provided that there has been an Sole Art., No. 13
unjustified delay in the grant of said registration. Additional protection may be D.O. January 26,
requested by those holders whose sanitary authorization or registration has been
granted after a year from the date of filing of the application. Additional
protection shall only cover the period proved to be an unjustified delay by the
administrative organ responsible for deciding said registration.
2007
Article 53bis 3.– The following circumstances affecting patent or sanitary Law 20,160
registration applications shall not be considered unjustified delays: Sole Art., No. 13
(a) opposition or any other judicial remedy or action; D.O. January 26,
(b) the time needed to receive reports or procedures from national or
international organs or agencies required for the patent registration procedure;
and
(c) actions or omissions by the applicant.
2007
Article 53bis 4.– The request for additional protection shall be filed with Law 20,160
the Industrial Property Tribunal, which shall decide on the existence of Sole Art., No. 13
unjustified delays and their extension in a single instance, according to the D.O. January 26,
procedure established for the remedy of appeal. Such decision shall have as its
sole effect the extension of the period of protection and shall not give rise to
responsibility of any kind.
Before the hearings, the court shall order that a formal request be sent to
the corresponding organ, so that it issues an opinion within 60 days.
2007
Article 53bis 5.– The period of additional protection shall give rise to a
note in the margin of the corresponding registration, following payment of a fee Law 20,160
of one monthly accounting unit for each year or fraction of a year of additional Sole Art., No. 13
protection. Payment may only be made within the six months prior to the D.O. January 26,
expiration of the original term of the patent, failing which the protection
established in this Title shall not be granted.
2007
TITLE IV
Utility models
Law 19,039
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Article 54.– The following shall be considered utility models: Law 19,039
instruments, apparatuses, tools, devices and objects or parts thereof in a form for
which a claim may be made in respect of both their external appearance and
their operation, on condition that said form lends them utility, in the sense that
the function for which they are intended thereby gains a benefit, advantage or
technical effect that it did not previously have.
Art. 54
Article 55.– The provisions of Title III concerning patents for invention
shall be applicable as appropriate to utility model patents, notwithstanding the Law 19,039
special provisions contained in this Title. Art. 55
Article 56.– A utility model shall be patentable when it is new and
industrially applicable. Law 19,039
A patent shall not be granted when the utility model presents only minor
or secondary differences that do not make for any discernible usefulness
compared with previous inventions or utility models.
An application for a utility model patent may only relate to an individual
object, without prejudice to the fact that various elements or aspects of that
object may be claimed in the same application.
Art. 56
Article 57.– Utility model patents shall be granted for a nonrenewable
period of 10 years beginning from the application date. Law 19,039
Article 58.– The following documents must be attached to the application
Art. 57
for a utility model: Law 19,996
an abstract of the utility model;
a description of the utility model;
a claims sheet;
drawings of the utility model.
Once the application has been filed with the Department, a preliminary
examination shall be conducted to verify that the documents listed above have
been attached.
Sole Art., No. 53
Article 59.– A utility model shall visibly display the notice “Modelo de Law 19,996
Utilidad” [utility model] or the abbreviation “MU” and the number of the title.
This information may be placed on the packaging, provided it is presented to
consumers sealed, so that it is necessary to destroy the packaging to gain access
to the product. Failure to do so shall not affect the validity of the utility model
but shall deprive the owner of the right to bring the criminal actions provided for
Sole Art., No. 54
in this Law. Law 19,039
Article 60.– Utility model patents may be invalidated on the same
Art. 60
grounds as those specified in Article 50. Law 19,996
Article 61.– The following persons shall be liable to a fine of 25 to 1,000
monthly accounting units payable to the State:
Sole Art., No. 55
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(a) any person who with ill intent manufactures, markets, imports or
uses, for commercial purposes, a registered utility model, notwithstanding the
exception established the fifth subparagraph of Article 49, which shall also
apply to this category of rights.
(b) any person who, for commercial purposes, uses the indications
corresponding to a utility model whose registration has lapsed or has been
invalidated, and any person who, for commercial purposes, simulates an
indication where there is no registration.
Persons found guilty in accordance with this Article shall be sentenced to
pay the costs, damages and prejudice caused to the owner of the utility model.
The tools and equipment used directly in committing any of the offenses
mentioned in this Article shall be confiscated. Unlawfully produced objects
shall be destroyed. As for the tools and equipment used, the competent court
may order their destruction or their distribution for charity.
A second or subsequent offense within five years of the application of a
fine shall be punishable by another fine at least double the initial one, up to a
maximum of 2,000 monthly accounting units.
TITLE V Law 19,996
Industrial designs Sole Art., No. 56
Article 62.– The term “industrial design” shall include any three Law 19,996
dimensional form, colored or not, and any industrial or craft product that serves
as a pattern for the manufacture of others like it and is distinguished from
similar products either by its form, geometrical shape or decoration or a
combination of these, insofar as those characteristics give it a special appearance
perceptible to the eye in such a way that a new character results.
The term “industrial design” shall include all arrangements, collections or
combinations of figures, lines or colors developed on a plan or diagram for
incorporation in an industrial product for the purpose of decoration and to give
said product a new appearance.
Industrial designs shall be considered new when they differ significantly
from known industrial designs, or from combinations of characteristics of
known industrial designs.
Containers may also be protected as industrial designs, provided that they
meet the condition of novelty mentioned above.
Printed fabrics, cloths or any laminated materials may also be protected as
industrial designs, provided that they meet the condition of novelty mentioned
above.
Sole Art, No. 57
Article 62bis.– The protection granted to industrial designs established by
this Law shall apply regardless of the protection granted by Law No. 17,336. Law 19,996
Article 62ter.– Industrial designs whose appearance is entirely due to
Sole Art., No. 58
technical or functional considerations, without addition of an arbitrary Law 19,996
contribution by the designer, may not be registered as industrial designs.
Moreover, articles of clothing of any kind or those consisting of a form
whose exact reproduction is necessary to allow the product incorporating the
design to be assembled mechanically or connected to another product forming
part of the whole may not be registered as industrial designs. This prohibition
shall not apply to products whose design is of a form intended to allow for the
Sole Art., No. 58
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assembly or the multiple connections of the products, or the product’s
connection within a modular system.
Article 63.– The provisions of Title III concerning patents shall be Law 19,996
applicable as appropriate to industrial designs, without prejudice to the special
provisions under this Title. The right of priority shall be regulated by Article
20bis of this Law.
Industrial designs may be invalidated on the same grounds as those
specified in Article 50 of this Law.
Sole Art., No. 59
Article 64.– The grant of an industrial design title shall be requested by Law 19,996
the filing of t the following documents:
an application;
a description;
a drawing;
a prototype or model where appropriate.
Once the application has been filed with the Department, a preliminary
examination shall be conducted to ascertain that the documents listed above
have been attached.
Sole Art., No. 60
Article 65.– An industrial design title shall be granted for a non Law 19,996
renewable term of 10 years beginning from the date of application. Sole Art., No. 61
Article 66.– An industrial design shall visibly display the notice “Dibujo Law 19,996
Industrial” or “Diseño Industrial” [industrial design] or the abbreviation “DI”
and the number of the title. This information may be placed on the packaging,
provided it is presented to consumers sealed, so that it is necessary to destroy the
packaging to gain access to the product. Failure to do so shall not affect the
validity of the industrial design but shall deprive its owner of the right to bring
the criminal actions provided for in the following Article.
Sole Art., No. 62
Law 19,996
Article 67.– The following persons shall be liable to a fine of 25 to 1,000
monthly accounting units, payable to the State:
(a) any person who with ill intent manufactures, markets, imports or
uses, for commercial purposes, a registered industrial design, without prejudice
to the provisions of the fifth subparagraph of Article 49, which shall also apply
to this category of rights.
(b) any person who, for commercial purposes, uses indications
corresponding to a registered industrial design or simulates such indications
where said registration does not exist or has lapsed or been cancelled.
Persons found guilty in accordance with this Article shall be sentenced to
pay the costs, damages and prejudice caused to the owner of the industrial
design
The tools and equipment used directly in committing any of the offenses
mentioned in this Article and the objects produced illegally shall be confiscated.
Unlawfully produced objects shall be destroyed. As for the tools and equipment
Sole Art., No. 63
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used, the competent court may order their destruction or their distribution for
charity.
A second or subsequent offense within the five years following the
application of a fine shall be punishable by another fine of at least double the
initial fine, up to a maximum amount of 2,000 monthly accounting units.
TITLE VI Law 19,996
Service inventions Sole Art., No. 1
Article 68.– For employment or service contracts, the subject of which is Law 19,996
the performance of an inventive or creative activity, the power to apply for the
title and any industrial property rights, shall belong exclusively to the employer
or to the party requesting the service except where expressly provided to the
contrary.
Sole Art., No. 64
Article 69.– The right to apply for the title and any industrial property Law 19,996
rights deriving from inventions by a worker who, according to his employment
contract, is under no obligation to do inventive or creative work, shall belong
exclusively to him.
If, however, to carry out the invention he has clearly availed himself of
knowledge acquired within and used means provided by the undertaking, the
aforesaid powers and rights shall belong to the employer, in which case the
employer shall grant the worker additional remuneration to be agreed upon by
the parties.
The above shall apply to a person who makes an invention that goes
beyond the framework of the tasks assigned to him.
Sole Art., No. 65
Article 70.– The right to apply for the corresponding title and any Law 19,996
industrial property rights deriving from the inventive or creative activity of
persons hired to engage in dependent or independent work by universities or
research institutions as referred to in DecreeLaw No. 1,263 of 1975 shall
belong to the latter entities or to those whom it may specify, without prejudice to
the regulation by its statutes of the manner in which the inventor or creator shall
share in the benefits achieved through his work.
Sole Art., No. 66
Article 71.– The rights established in favor of the worker in the preceding Law 19,996
articles shall be nonrenounceable prior to the grant of a patent, utility model or
layout design or topography of integrated circuits, as the case may be. Any
provision to the contrary shall be deemed not to have been written.
Sole Art., No. 67
Article 72.– Any disputes related to the enforcement of these provisions Law 19,996
shall be heard by the Industrial Property Tribunal referred to in Title I,
Paragraph 3 of this Law.
Sole Art., No. 68
TITLE VII
Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 69
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Article 73.– An integrated circuit is a product in its final or intermediate Law 19,996
form, intended to perform an electronic function, in which at least one of the
elements must be active, and some or all of the interconnections form an integral
part of the body or surface of a part thereof.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 74.– Threedimensional arrangements of integrated circuits, Law 19,996
expressed in any form and designed for manufacture, shall be considered layout
designs or topographies of integrated circuits.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 75.– Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits shall be Law 19,996
protected by this Law, provided that they are original.
Layout designs (topographies) that are the result of the intellectual effort
of the creator and are not common knowledge among the creators and
manufacturers of layout designs or topographies of integrated circuits, at the
time of their creation, shall be considered original.
A layout design (topography) of integrated circuits that consists of a
combination of common elements or interconnections shall only be protected if
the combination as a whole meets the conditions indicated in the previous
paragraphs.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 76.– The owner of a layout design (topography) of integrated Law 19,996
circuits shall have the exclusive right to produce, sell or market in any way the
protected object and the right granted to him.
Consequently, the owner of a layout design (topography) of integrated
circuits can prevent any third party, acting without his consent, from:
(a) reproducing the protected layout design (topography) of integrated
circuits in full or in part for incorporation in an integrated circuit or into any
other form, with the exception of reproducing any part of it that does not comply
with the originality requirement set out in Article 75 of this Law;
(b) selling or distributing in any way, for commercial purposes, the
protected layout design (topography) of integrated circuits, or a product that
incorporates an integrated circuit that contains an illegally reproduced layout
design (topography) of integrated circuits.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 77.– The exclusive right of exploitation envisaged in the
preceding Article shall not apply to:
(a) the reproductions of layout designs (topographies) of integrated
circuits in which a layout design (topography) of integrated circuits created by
third parties for private purposes or with the sole objective of evaluation,
analysis, and research or teaching has been incorporated;
(b) commercial exploitation, as defined in said Article, of a layout
design (topography) of integrated circuits, that otherwise meets the requirements
of Article 75 of this Law, which has been created as a result of analysis and
evaluation of a separate protected layout design (topography) of integrated
circuits;
(c) commercial exploitation, as defined by said Article, of an integrated
circuit that incorporates an illegally reproduced layout design (topography) of
integrated circuits or in relation to any object that incorporates such an
integrated circuit, where the third party who orders or performs such acts did not
know or have reasonable grounds to know, upon acquiring the integrated circuit
or the object, that he was incorporating an illegally reproduced layout design
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 71
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(topography) of integrated circuits.
Notwithstanding the above, once the third party knows or has reason to
believe that the layout design (topography) of integrated circuits was illegally
reproduced, said third party shall be able to perform any action regarding current
inventory or products ordered before that time. In such cases, the owner of the
protected rights shall only be able to demand payment of a sum equal to a
reasonable royalty for a freely negotiated license of the layout design
(topography) of integrated circuits.
The court that is competent to hear cases involving infringements of
layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits shall also decide any
disputes that arise regarding the determination of the royalty referred to in the
previous paragraph according to the rules established for incidents in the Code
of Civil Procedure, without testimonial evidence and by means of a decision
made in due conscience;
(d) an identical and original layout design (topography) of integrated
circuits independently created by a third party.
Article 78.– Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits shall be
protected for a nonrenewable period of 10 years beginning from the date the
registration application was filed or its first commercial exploitation in any part
of the world.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 79.– The register of layout designs (topographies) of integrated
circuits shall be kept by the Industrial Property Department.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 80.– The following documents must be attached to an application
for a layout design (topography) of integrated circuits:
application;
description;
prototype or model, where appropriate;
additional documents, as the case may be.
Once the application has been filed with the Department, a preliminary
examination shall be conducted to verify that the above documents have been
attached.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 81.– The registration application may be filed before the
commercial exploitation of the layout design (topography) of integrated circuits
has begun or within two years of the date of said exploitation. In the latter case,
the applicant must include with the application an affidavit identifying the date
of the first commercial exploitation.
The processing of the application, as well as its publication and the
issuing of the relevant decision, shall be regulated by the provisions established
in the Regulations Under this Law.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No.
Article 82.– Cancellation of a layout design (topography) of integrated Law 19,996
circuits shall occur for any of the following reasons:
(a) where the person obtaining the layout design (topography) of
integrated circuits is neither the lawful creator nor the assignee;
(b) where the grant has been based on examiner’s reports which are
Sole Art., No. 71
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page 31
erroneous or clearly deficient;
(c) where the registration has been granted in violation of the protection
requirements established in Article 75;
(d) where the commercial exploitation of the layout design (topography)
of integrated circuits commenced more than two years prior to the filing of the
application.
Article 83.– The provisions of Titles III and VI, relating to invention Law 19,996
patents and service inventions respectively, shall apply to layout designs or
topographies of integrated circuits where appropriate, notwithstanding the
special provisions contained in the present Title.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 84.– Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits shall Law 19,996
display visibly an encircled capital letter “T”. This information may be placed
on the container, provided that the container is sealed, in such a manner that it is
necessary to destroy the container to utilize the product. Failure to meet this
requirement shall not affect the validity of the layout design (topography) of
integrated circuits, but the owner of said design (topography) may not bring the
criminal actions referred to in this Law.
Sole Art., No. 71
Article 85.– The following persons shall be liable to a fine of 25 to 1,000 Law 19,996
monthly accounting units payable to the State:
(a) anyone who with ill intent manufactures, markets, imports or uses,
for commercial purposes, a registered layout design (topography) of integrated
circuits, without prejudice to the exception set out in the fifth subparagraph of
Article 49, which shall also apply to layout designs;
(b) anyone who, for commercial purposes, makes unauthorized use of
information corresponding to a registered layout design (topography) of
integrated circuits whose registration has expired or been cancelled, and anyone
who, for the same purposes, simulates such information where there is no
registration or the registration has lapsed or been cancelled. Those convicted in
accordance with this Article shall be obliged to pay the costs and damages
suffered by the owner of the layout design (topography) of integrated circuits.
The tools and equipment used directly in committing any of the offenses
mentioned in this Article shall be confiscated. Unlawfully produced objects
shall be confiscated or destroyed. As for the tools and equipment used, the court
may order their destruction or distribution for charity.
A second or subsequent offense within five years of the application of a
fine shall be punishable by at least double the initial fine, up to a maximum
amount of 2,000 monthly accounting units.
Sole Art., No. 71
TITLE VIII Law 19,996
Trade secrets and information disclosed to the authority to obtain
health registrations or authorizations
Paragraph 1
Sole Art., No. 72
Trade secrets
Sole Art., No. 72
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Article 86.– Any knowledge of industrial products or procedures that, by Law 19,996
being kept secret, gives the holder a competitive advantage, enhancement or
advance, shall be considered a trade secret.
Sole Art., No. 72
Article 87.– The unlawful acquisition of a trade secret, its disclosure or Law 19,996
exploitation without authorization from the holder, and the disclosure or
exploitation of trade secrets to which there has been lawful access but under a
confidentiality obligation, shall constitute a violation of the trade secret,
provided that the violation of the secret has been with the intent to obtain
advantage for self benefit or that of a third party or to injure the holder thereof.
Sole Art., No. 72
Article 88.– Without prejudice to the corresponding criminal liability, the
rules in Title X relating to the observance of industrial property rights shall Law 19,996
apply to the violation of a trade secret. Sole Art., No. 72
Paragraph 2
Information disclosed to the authority to obtain health registrations or
authorizations
Article 89.– Where the Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP – Public Health
Agency) or Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG – Agricultural and Livestock
Protection Agency) requires the submission of proof or other undisclosed
information concerning the safety and effectiveness of a pharmaceutical product
or agricultural chemical that utilizes a new chemical entity that has not been
previously approved by the competent authority, such information shall be
considered confidential pursuant to the regulations in force.
The nature of nondisclosure shall be deemed satisfied if the data have
been subject to reasonable measures to keep it undisclosed and they are not
generally known to or easily accessed by persons within the circles in which the
type of information in question is normally used.
The competent authority may not disclose or utilize such data to grant a
health registration or authorization to someone who does not have the
permission of the holder thereof, for a period of five years for pharmaceutical
products and 10 years for agricultural chemicals, beginning from the first health
registration or authorization granted by ISP or SAG, as the case may be.
In order to enjoy protection under this Article, the nature of non
disclosure of such data shall be expressly stipulated in the health registration or
authorization application.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 72
Article 90.– An active ingredient that has not been included previously in
health registrations or authorizations granted by ISP or SAG, as the case may be,
or that has not been marketed in the national territory prior to the health
registration or authorization application, shall be considered a new chemical
entity.
For the purposes of this paragraph, a substance having one or more
pharmacological effects or agricultural chemical uses, whatever its form,
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 72
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page 33
expression or arrangement, including its salts and complexes, shall be
considered an active ingredient. In no case shall the following be considered a
new chemical substance:
(a) therapeutic uses or indications other than those authorized in other
prior health registrations or authorizations of the same chemical substance;
(b) changes in the method of administration or forms of dosage from
those authorized in other prior health registrations or authorizations of the same
chemical substance;
(c) changes in authorized or registered pharmaceutical forms,
formulations or combinations of chemical substances;
(d) salts, complexes, crystalline forms or such chemical structures based
on a chemical substance that has a prior health registration or authorization.
Article 91.– Protection under this paragraph shall not apply where: Law 19,996
(a) the holder of the information providing proof indicated in Article 89
has engaged in conduct or practices declared anticompetitive, directly related to
the use or exploitation of such information, according to a final or binding
decision by the Antitrust Tribunal;
(b) on justified grounds of public health, national security, non
commercial public use, national emergency or other extremely urgent
circumstances declared so by the competent authority, the protection set out in
Article 89 may be terminated;
(c) the pharmaceutical product or agricultural chemical is the subject of
a compulsory license pursuant to the stipulations in this Law;
(d) the pharmaceutical product or agricultural chemical has not been
marketed within the national territory by the end of a 12month period
beginning from the date of the health registration or authorization granted in
Sole Art., No. 72
Chile; Law 20,160
(e) the application for registration or health authorization of the Sole Art., No. 14
pharmaceutical product or agricultural chemical that is filed in Chile 12 months D.O. January 26,
after the first registration or health authorization has been obtained abroad. 2007
TITLE IX Law 19,996
Geographical indications and appellations of origin Sole Art., No. 73
Article 92.– This Law recognizes and protects geographical indications Law 19,996
and appellations of origin in accordance with the following provisions:
(a) an indication identifying a product as originating from a country,
region or locality in the national territory where a given quality, reputation or
other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical
origin, shall be considered a geographical indication;
(b) a designation identifying a product as originating from the country,
regional or locality in the national territory where a given quality, reputation or
other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical
origin, and also taking into consideration other natural or human factors that
have an impact on the characteristics of the product, shall be considered an
appellation of origin.
Sole Art., No. 73
Article 93.– Geographical indications and appellations of origin shall be Law 19,996
governed by this Law and by the rules for specific use that have been approved. Sole Art., No. 73
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page 34
The foregoing shall be understood to be without prejudice to the provisions
regulating appellations of origin for Pisco, Pajarete and Vino Asoleado and
those referring to zoning of winegrowing, where the specific rules contained in
Law No. 18,455 shall prevail in respect thereof.
Geographical indications and appellations of origin cannot be subject to
appropriation or lien limiting or preventing the use thereof by applicants who
meet the requirements established in this Law and in the regulations for use of
the indication or appellation.
Article 94.– The recognition of a geographical indication or appellation
of origin shall be made by the Department via its inclusion in a Register of
Geographical Indications and Appellations of Origin kept for that purpose.
Any natural person or legal entity may request the registration of a
geographical indication or appellation of origin, provided that he/it represents a
significant group of producers, manufacturers or artisans, regardless of the legal
form, whose lands, or establishments of extraction, production, processing and
preparation are within the delimited zone established by the geographical
indication or appellation of origin requested and who/which meet the other
requirements laid down in this Law. National, regional, provincial or local
authorities may also request the recognition of a geographical indication or
appellation of origin where the geographical indications or appellations of origin
are located inside the territories within their corresponding jurisdiction.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 73
Article 95.– The following signs or expressions may not be recognized as Law 20,160
geographical indications or appellations of origin: Sole Art., No. 15
(a) those that do not conform to the definitions contained in Article 92 of D.O. January 26,
this Law;
(b) those that are contrary to morality or ordre public;
(c) those that may mislead or create confusion among consumers public
in respect of the source of the geographical indication or appellation of origin or
of the attributes of the products that they seek to protect;
(d) those that are common or generic indications to protect the product in
question, being understood as those considered as such by those with knowledge
of the matter or the general public, unless they have been recognized as
geographical indications or appellations of origin under international treaties
2007
ratified by Chile. Law 19,996
Article 96.– Foreign geographical indications and appellations of origin
may be registered in Chile in accordance with the rules contained in this Law.
They may not be protected, or their protection shall lapse, where they have such
protection, when they are no longer protected or have fallen into disuse in their
country of origin.
In particular, foreign geographical indications and appellations of origin
identifying wines and spirits in relation to products and services, and that have
been used continuously, in good faith, by nationals or residents in the national
territory, to identify those same products or services or the related ones in Chile
prior to April 15, 1994, or for at least 10 years prior to that date, shall not benefit
from the protection established in this Law unless stipulated to the contrary in an
Sole Art., No. 73
international treaty ratified by Chile. Law 20,160
Sole Art., No. 16
D.O. January 26,
Article 96bis A.– If by application of the rules contained in this Law or in 2007
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page 35
international treaties ratified by Chile, the Department arrives at the belief that
coexistence between trademarks and geographical indications or appellations of
origin, or of said indications and appellations between themselves, is possible,
the final decision shall determine the conditions in which the geographical
indications and appellations of origin or trademarks shall be used, in order to
prevent misleading or creating confusion among consumers. Where one or
more of the products in question are agricultural and forestry products or agro
industrial products, in order to reach such belief, the Department will have to
request a report from the Ministry of Agriculture.
In any case, the conditions of use shall form part of the relevant
registration.
Failure to comply with the conditions of use shall deprive the holder of
the right to bring the actions established in this Law.
Law 19,996
Article 97.– An application for recognition of a geographical indication
or appellation of origin shall state the following:
(a) the name, address, tax identification number, if applicable, and
activity of the applicant related to the requested indication or appellation;
(b) the geographical indication or appellation of origin;
(c) the geographical area of production, extraction, processing or
preparation of the product that will be distinguished by the requested indication
or appellation, delimiting it to the geographical character and political
administrative division of the country;
(d) a detailed description of the product or products that will be
distinguished by the requested indication or appellation as well as the essential
characteristics or qualities thereof;
(e) a technical study prepared by a competent professional that provides
information in the sense that the characteristics or qualities attributed to the
product are fundamentally or exclusively attributable to its geographical origin;
(f) a draft of the specific regulations of use and control of the requested
indication or appellation.
Sole Art., No. 73
Article 98.– Applications for Chilean geographical indications or
appellations of origin relating to forestry, agricultural and livestock, and agro
industrial goods shall also require an approbatory report by the Ministry of Law 19,996
Agriculture for the registration thereof stating their compliance with the
requirements of Article 97. A report issued by the Ministry of Agriculture shall
be required for foreign geographical indications and appellations of origin
related to such products.
Such report shall be issued within 120 days from the date of request
therefor by the Head of the Department.
Sole Art., No. 73
Article 99.– The decision granting the registration of a geographical
indication or appellation of origin shall state:
(a) the recognition of the geographical indication or appellation of
origin;
(b) the delimited geographical zone of production, extraction, processing
or preparation in which the producers, manufacturers or artisans thereof have the
right to use the indication or appellation;
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 73
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(c) the products to which the geographical indication or appellation of
origin shall apply and the essential qualities or characteristics that they must
have;
(d) the qualification, according to the merits of the information
furnished, as a geographical indication or appellation of origin.
Such decision shall also approve and order the registration of the specific
regulations for use and control of the recognized geographical indication or
appellation of origin.
Article 100.– The registration of a geographical indication or appellation Law 19,996
of origin shall be indefinite. Sole Art., No. 73
The registration may be modified at any time where any of the
circumstances established in Article 97 changes. The modification shall be
subject to the registration procedure, as appropriate.
Article 101.– Any interested party may petition for the invalidation of the Law 19,996
registration of a geographical indication or appellation of origin if any of the Sole Art., No. 73
prohibitions set out in this Law have been infringed.
Article 102.– To the extent applicable, the rules in Titles I and II and the Law 19,996
trademarks regulations shall apply to the examination, publication, registration Sole Art., No. 73
and invalidation procedures for geographical indications and appellations of
origin discussed in this Title.
Article 103.– All producers, manufacturers or artisans who conduct their Law 19,996
activity within the delimited geographical zone, including those who are not Sole Art., No. 73
among those who requested the initial recognition, shall be entitled to use the
geographical indication or appellation of origin in relation to the products
indicated in the registration, provided that they comply with the provisions
regulating the use thereof. Only they may use the expression “Indicación
Geográfica” (geographical indication) or “Denominación de Origen”
(appellation of origin) or the initials “I.G.” or “D.O.” respectively, in the
identification of the product. These indications may be placed on the container
provided that the container is sealed, in such a manner that it is necessary to
destroy the container to use the product.
Article 104. – Civil actions relating to the right to use a registered Law 19,996
geographical indication or appellation of origin and those seeking to prevent the Sole Art., No. 73
illegal use thereof shall be brought before the ordinary courts, pursuant to the
rules established in Title X, on Enforcement.
The civil actions established in the previous paragraph regarding
registered geographical indications or appellations of origin that identify wines
and spirits may be taken where a geographical indication or appellation of origin
is used without the right to do so or is translated or where it is accompanied by
words such as “class”, “type”, style”, “imitation”, or other similar expressions,
even when the true origin of the good is indicated.
Article 105.– The following persons shall be liable to a fine of 25 to
1,000 monthly accounting units payable to the State:
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page 37
(a) any person who with ill intent designates a product of the same type
as those protected by a registered geographical indication or appellation of
origin without the right to do so;
(b) any person who uses, for commercial purposes, the indications
corresponding to a geographical indication or appellation of origin that is not
registered, has lapsed or has been invalidated or that simulates them;
(c) any person who makes use, for commercial purposes, of containers
or packages that bear a registered geographical indication or appellation of
origin without the right to use it and without having it previously erased, unless
the marked package is intended to contain different goods unrelated to those
protected by the geographical indication or appellation of origin.
Persons found guilty pursuant to this Article shall be liable to pay the
costs, damages and prejudice caused to the lawful users of the geographical
indication or appellation of origin.
The tools and equipment used directly in committing any of the offenses
mentioned in this Article shall be confiscated. Objects bearing counterfeit
geographical indications or appellations of origin shall be confiscated and
destroyed. As for the tools and equipment used, the competent court may order
their destruction or distribution for charity.
A second or subsequent offense within five years from the date of a fine
shall be punishable by at least double the previous fine, up to a maximum of
2,000 monthly accounting units.
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 73
TITLE X Law 19,996
Enforcement of industrial property rights Sole Art., No. 74
Paragraph 1 Law 19,996
Civil actions Sole Art., No. 74
Article 106.– Rights holders whose industrial property rights have been Law 19,996
infringed may bring a civil action seeking the following:
(a) the cessation of the acts infringing the protected right;
(b) compensation for damages;
(c) adoption of the measures necessary to avoid the continuation of the
offense;
(d) the publication of the decision, at the expense of the party found
guilty, by means of inserts in a newspaper to be chosen by the plaintiff. This
measure shall apply where the decision expressly so determines.
Sole Art., No. 74
Article 107.– The civil actions laid down in Article 106 shall give rise to Law 19,996
a summary judgment and anyone who has an interest in filing a civil action may
do so, without prejudice to any criminal action that may be bought.
Sole Art., No. 74
Article 108.– Damages may be determined, of the plaintiff’s choosing, Law 19,996
according to the general rules or according to one of the following rules:
(a) the profits that the rights holder would have ceased to earn as a
consequence of the infringement;
(b) the profits that the infringer would have earned as a consequence of
the infringement;
(c) the price that the infringer would have paid to the rights holder for
Sole Art., No. 74
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page 38
the granting of a license, taking into account the commercial value of the
infringed right and contractual licenses that have already been granted.
Article 109.– Without prejudice to the other actions established in this Law 19,996
Title, persons who have marketed goods that infringe an industrial property right
shall not be liable for damages unless those same persons have manufactured or
produced them or have marketed them in the knowledge that they were
committing an infringement of an industrial property right.
Sole Art., No. 74
Article 110.– The judge hearing the case shall be empowered to order the Law 19,996
infringer in the decision to provide any information in his possession on the
persons who have participated in the production or preparation of the goods or
procedures involved in the infringement and regarding the distribution channels
of said goods.
Sole Art., No. 74
Article 111.– The judge shall assess the evidence in these cases in due Law 19,996
conscience. Sole Art., No. 74
Paragraph 2 Law 19,996
Precautionary measures Sole Art., No. 74
Article 112.– Precautionary measures shall apply in all matters relating to Law 19,996
infringements of industrial property rights.
Without prejudice to other precautionary measures, the court may order
the following:
(a) the immediate cessation of the acts constituting the alleged
infringement;
(b) seizure of the products involved in the alleged infringement and the
materials and means used mainly to commit the infringement. Seizure of
containers, packaging, labels, printed matter or advertising containing the sign
involved in the alleged infringement may also be ordered in the case of
distinctive signs;
(c) the appointment of one or more receivers;
(d) an ban on advertising or promoting the products involved in the
alleged infringement in any way; and
(e) the withholding in a credit institution or by a third party of the
property, monies or valuables arising from the sale or marketing of such
products in any way.
Sole Art., No. 74
Paragraph 3 Law 19,996
Preliminary remedies Sole Art., No. 74
Article 113.– The provisional remedies indicated in paragraph 2 of Title Law 19,996
X of this Law and the remedies contained in Titles IV and V of the Second
Book of the Code of Civil Procedure may be requested as preliminary remedies.
Sole Art., No. 74
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TITLE XI Law 19,996
Final Article Sole Art., No. 75
Article 114.– DecreeLaw No. 958, of 1931, on Industrial Property;
Articles 16 and 17 of Law No. 18,591; Article 38 of Law No. 18,681; and Law
No. 18,935 are hereby repealed.
Law 19,039
Art. 73
TITLE XII
Transitional Articles
Law 19,996
Sole Art., No. 70
Article 1.– Without prejudice to the provisions of the second
subparagraph of Article 39 of this Law, only invention patents may be applied
for drugs of all kinds, medicinal pharmaceutical preparations and their
preparations and chemical reactions, provided that the applicant has filed the
patent application in his country of origin after the entry into force of this Law.
Law 19,039
Transitional
Article 1
To be noted, notified, and filed. – RICARDO LAGOS ESCOBAR,
President of the Republic. – Jorge Rodríguez Grossi, Minister of Economy,
Development and Reconstruction.
Sent to you for your attention. – Yours sincerely, Carlos Alvarez
Voullième, Deputy Secretary of Economy, Development and Reconstruction.
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