Welcome to our blog for Intellectual Property Law and Practice in Latin America!
¡Bienvenidos a nuestro blog de Derecho y Práctica de la Propiedad Intelectual en Latinoamérica!
Bem-vindo ao nosso blog sobre Direito e Prática de Propriedade Intelectual na América Latina!

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez

Ecuador: IP Infringers sue public prosecutor... for prosecuting them

Yeah, right! Maybe the title is quite strange because of my limitations with English, but that's more or less what is happening in Ecuador in a recent case that Alfonso Rivera (Tobar y Bustamante) has brought to the attention of the IP Tango.

IEPI (Ecuador Institute of Intellectual Property) has seized more than 110.000 counterfeiting products in a recent raid, and some stores were closed. ASECOPAC (an Ecuatorian Association of sellers of Audiovisual products) has submitted a complaint against IEPI because they consider that the raids are in violation of the National Plan for Good Living (sorry I'm translating it literally) and of Art. 325 of the Ecuatorian Constitutions that guarantees everyone's right to work.
The case is certainly more complex. But at first sight it seems really curious that such a complaint has been filed.
Let's see what happens. I'm sure our colleagues in Ecuador will keep us informed about it.

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez