In the past it was commonly believed that enforcement of intellectual property in Mexico was something unusual. However, with recent changes in the law, particularly since the Law for the Development of Industrial Property was enacted in 1991 and modified in 1994 under the name of Law of Industrial Property, the status of Industrial Property in Mexico has highly improved, as well as the ability of a patentee to enforce its patents in Mexico. Although it is perfectly possible to enforce patents through a complaint filed with a Civil Court, this action has not been regarded by some attorneys as fully recommendable, mainly due to lack of expertise of the judges in industrial property matters. Infringement actions have been preferably brought before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) rather than to the courts, which become involved only after the Patent Office has determined whether an infringement exists and that the patent is valid. If such requirements are met, then
