Today, it is becoming more frequent that Trademark (TM) owners
trust their valuable registrations on a Trademark "Watch
Service". These services notify Trademark Titleholders when
there is an attempt towards registering conflicting marks, in order
that these titleholders timely oppose the filing of such adverse
applications. These services are particularly helpful in countries
where Trademark Rights are secured through registration, rather
than use.
Often, a Trademark owner seeking to expand his business abroad
discovers that his flagship mark has been already registered in a
country by a "third party." In countries where there is
no opposition system - like Mexico - the whole novelty examination
of a TM application is performed by the Mexican Institute of
Industrial Property (IMPI). If the examiners consider that this
trademark application is similar or identical to a previous
registration or application, they will issue an official action
citing the anticipations.
