Before answering the following questions, it is important to emphasize the importance and value of Intellectual Property and trademarks for a company.

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How do you distinguish one product from another? Why would the consumer choose my company's product over a competitor's product? This is achieved thanks to the brands, which provide differentiation between each other. The brands, as well as the rest of the Intellectual Property constitute of the Intangible goods most valuable to a company, since they represent the company, its quality and characteristics.

Companies greatly value their brands and try by all means to prevent other similar ones from existing on the market, so that the consumer is not confused when buying. The first thing a company should do is register their trademarks in the public registries of the countries, to have state protection against eventual plagiarism or unauthorized use.

However, one of the reasons why an international trademark must be registered in the local market is because the principle of territoriality. This means that trademarks are only protected in the territory in which they were registered, that is, each state or country is sovereign and only protects what is registered in it, in this matter. For this reason, it is important to register the trademarks in all the countries in which the products or services are marketed, or where there are intentions to start operations in the short term.

It is considered essential to mention that even if a trademark is registered in a country, it is necessary to make a effective use of this within a period of five years from its registration; since otherwise, the brand could be canceled due to lack of use.

Regarding the registration of the trademark, in the different countries, there are two ways to proceed. One is that management can be done by sending a request to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and this is in charge of submitting the different requests to each of the countries. However, this option is quite onerous, since in addition to the registration cost per country, WIPO also charges a percentage for the management carried out.

The other option, which is much more beneficial in economic terms, is to look for a law office with a regional presence, such as LatinAlliance, which will help you coordinate the registration of trademarks in each of the countries.

In summary, an international trademark must be registered in the local market to prevent a third party from registering it in its favor and obtaining an illicit benefit. In this way, your brand will be protected by local legislation against possible infringements of your rights as the legitimate owner of it.