The protection of intellectual property is becoming more important, more complex, and more difficult to manage. Although Chile leads the regional rankings (according to Intellectual Property Rights Index), it is still viewed by the international community as wanting in many areas, particularly in relation to piracy, copyright and patent protection.
In April 2021 the so-called “Short” Intellectual Property Law was approved in Chile and came into force on the 5th of July 2021. The specific objectives of this legislation were to improve protection and compliance with these rights, and to simplify registration procedures.
Chile is a member of several international treaties on intellectual property, including the Berne Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (TPC), the Trademark Law Treaty (TLT), and the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement. Chile also participates in the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Chilean authorities responsible for overseeing Intellectual Property issues are:
● National Institute of Industrial Property – for industrial property rights such as trademarks and patents,
● Chilean Intellectual Property Department of the Ministry of Culture, Art and Heritage – for copyrights,
● NIC Chile, the entity in charge of the .cl Domain Name Registry
