Enforcement Of IP Rights In Argentina

As a result of the entry into force of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ("TRIPS") within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, Argentina began to amend its legislation on enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in order to adapt them to the standards therein contained.

With regard to the enforcement of rights three recent developments deserves attention, namely: I) the custom surveillance system for trademarks and copyrights that started to operate in 2007; II) the amendment of the Argentine Patent Act in 2004 that regulates preliminary injunctions in the field of patents; and, (III) the proceedings initiated against downloaders of music on the Internet.