The decree amending the Mexican Industrial Property Law (MIPL) in order to implement an effective trademark opposition proceeding was published on June 1, 2016 in the Federal Official Gazette. These amendments will be in full force and effect as from September 1st, 2016.
Pursuant to the MIPL, a trademark owner is currently compelled to wait until a trademark registration has been unlawfully granted in order to be able to file a cancellation action against it, making this contentious action costly and time-consuming. The implementation of the new opposition system in Mexico will allow trademark owners to oppose the registration of a third party's trademark, reducing the amount of litigious proceedings, thus, becoming cost- effective.
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