INPI issues digital certificates of trademark registration

One of the new procedures of the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (INPI) that had been expected for a long time has finally been put into effect: the issuance of digital certificates of trademark registration.

On September 15 2014 the INPI issued Resolution No 136, which provides for the issuance of certificates of registration in a digital format, signed by a certification authority in accordance with the standards of the Brazilian Public Key Infrastructure (ICP-Brasil).

Resolution No 136 also provides that certificates of renewal and certified copies of certificates of registration will be issued in a digital format. In order to obtain digital certificates of registration, users must access the online database of the INPI and identify themselves on the module of trademark searches. The INPI will control and monitor the access to this new service.

The resolution was published in the Official Bulletin on September 30 2014 and immediately came into effect. The new procedure certainly facilitates the access to certificates of registration and will avoid huge delays in the delivery of these documents.

As the INPI had suspended the delivery of certificates of registration (and renewal), there is a huge number of documents to be issued electronically. The new procedure has worked well in the first weeks following its implementation, and it is expected that this service will help the situation return to normal as quickly as possible, so that trademark owners may obtain their certificates in a fast and efficient manner.

Patrícia Lusoli, Guerra Propriedade Industrial, Rio de Janeiro