The Intellectual Property Division of the Mossack Fonseca Group will take part in the first Blogger Influencer Week as a leading company promoting the importance of a blog’s content registration and copyright protection.
The organizers mainly seek to develop opportunities to enhance Panama as a tourist and business platform by promoting the talent of the most recognized, respected, and influential national and international bloggers. “Panama City will once again play a leading role in an avant-garde event that is full of innovation with the first Blogger Influencer Week. As a leading company in our industry, we support these kinds of initiatives for the purpose of communicating and sharing the importance of copyright registration and protection,” stated the head of the Mossack Fonseca Intellectual Property Division, Ms Raquel Araúz. Ms Araúz added that they have expanded their suite of services, aka Multiple Intellectual Property Services (MIPS), to guarantee the complete protection of trademarks, patents, and copyrights―thereby avoiding the counterfeiting and imitation of their clients’ products and services, both nationally and internationally. The first Blogger Influencer Week will take place from 27th February to 5th March 2016 with various events to be held in the Republic of Panama. For more information regarding MIPS, please follow @mossfonmips in twitter using hashtag #CuidaTusIdeas. Read Article here.
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The Mossack Fonseca Group recently planted over 1,000 seedlings in Camino de Cruces National Park as a part of National Reforestation Day and the “Alliance for a Million.”
Panama City, Panama – November 25, 2015 /PressCable/ -- Taking a more proactive approach to the issues associated with global climate change, the Mossack Fonseca Group offered its support for the reforestation efforts adopted by Panama and much of the rest of Central America through its participation in National Reforestation Day. Recognizing the importance of the role trees play in the recovery of degraded soils, the protection of the water supply, the absorption of carbon and the emission of oxygen, the planting of a wide variety of tree species on such a grand scale is a highly beneficial measure for further protecting the environment from the potentially devastating effects of unchecked climate change. The firm has a long history of environmental consciousness and has frequently participated in projects similar to the reforestation efforts taking place in Panama. In this particular instance, a large contingent represented the Mossfon Family at Camino de Cruces National Park to take part in the “Alliance for a Million” project undertaken by ANCON. In planting over 1,000 young seedlings throughout the park, members of the firm were able to assist ANCON as it seeks to achieve its lofty goal of stimulating the growth of forest and fruit species across 1 million hectares. With a focus on targeting the areas with the most pressing need for regrowth, members of the firm helped to ensure that forest management areas, river banks, natural forest areas and groundwater recharge zones benefited from the immediate attention. Those participating in National Reforestation Day surely understand the impact that deforestation has had on the world at large, but Central Americans in particular are acutely aware of the consequences that have been wrought throughout the region. Over the last 40 years alone, 40 percent of the rain forests have been cleared or burned, affecting the region’s ecological balance to a significant degree. Deforestation has affected air quality, caused soil instability and endangered the 80 percent of terrestrial life that calls the forest home. Given the pervasive and accelerated nature of climate change, efforts such as the one undertaken by ANCON and the firm are necessary for ensuring future environmental stability. About the Firm The Mossack Fonseca Group is a firm that provides exceptional legal, trust and investment consultancy to clients across the globe. Founded in 1977, the firm offers comprehensive services across every continent, specializing in international business structures, commercial law, wealth management and trust services. For more information about us, please visit http://www.mossfon.com Contact Info: Name: Mossack Fonseca Organization: Mossack Fonseca Address: 54th Street, Marbella, Panama Phone: 507-205-5888 Este viernes, 20 de Noviembre de 2015, el presidente de la Asociación Internacional de Marcas (INTA), J. Scott Evans y el presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, José Eduardo Ayú Prado Canals, en representación de sus organizaciones firmaron un Convenio marco de Cooperación Académica y Asistencia Técnica. A través de este Convenio ambas entidades han considerado conveniente establecer relaciones formales de cooperación para el logro de metas de crecimiento, orientadas al beneficio nacional y des arrollo humano de Panamá y la región, con sujeción a la normativa que les aplica y dentro de este parámetro, aunar esfuerzos y colaborar en la implementación de programas de capacitación y desarrollo de actividades que son de interés. Propios de sus atribuciones y responsabilidades. Además, este Convenio marco de Cooperación Académica y Asistencia Técnica, servirá para desarrollar actividades de cooperación en el campo de marcas y otras áreas relacionadas como: el desarrollo de proyectos de colaboración relacionado a marcas, litigios, reforzamiento de los derechos de marcas, y otras áreas relacionadas; el intercambio de información, experiencias y material educativo; el desarrollo de estudios; y la organización de reuniones y conferencias. Para el presidente de la Asociación Internacional de Marcas, J. Scott Evans, “Panamá juega un rol crítico importante en la economía global y en el comercio marítimo internacional, y esto sólo se incrementará con la ampliación del Canal de Panamá”. Mientras que para el presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, José E. Ayú Prado Canals, esta cooperación brindará a los Tribunales de Justicia y Jueces, la oportunidad de ampliar sus puntos de vista acerca de la protección de los derechos de propiedad intelectual, en especial los signos distintivos y las marcas, para permitir que se conviertan en herramientas de desarrollo integral sostenible del país y de la región con reglas claras acerca de la competitividad y la inversión nacional y extranjera. “A la vez, la economía de Panamá y la clase media están creciendo. La Asociación Internacional de Marcas busca la colaboración del Órgano Judicial para mejorar su efectividad hacia los titulares de marcas y los consumidores en Panamá y alrededor del mundo”, expuso el Magistrado Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Panamá. La Asociación Internacional de Marcas (INTA por sus siglas en inglés) es la asociación global de los dueños de marcas y de profesionales dedicados a apoyar las marcas y la propiedad intelectual relacionada, a efectos de proteger a los consumidores y promover el comercio justo y efectivo. Los miembros reúnen más de 6,700 dueños de marcas, profesionales y académicos de más de 190 países, quienes se benefician de los recursos, política de desarrollo, educación y entrenamiento y de la red internacional de las marcas de la Asociación. Fundada en 1878, la Asociación Internacional de Marcas tiene su sede en la Ciudad de Nueva York, con oficinas en Bruselas, Shanghai y Washington, D. C., y representantes en Ginebra y Mumbai. La Corte Suprema de Justicia, los Tribunales Superiores y Juzgados son los llamados a decidir los conflictos y resolverlos de forma independiente , rápida y confiable, asegurando el respeto a la Constitución y las leyes de la República, la protección de las libertades y garantías ciudadanas, la convivencia pacífica y la defensa de los valores esenciales de la Democracia. La firma del convenio es la culminación de un proceso iniciado por el magistrado presidente en diciembre de 2014 en Mexico D.F., en la Asamblea Anual de la Asociación Internacional de Propiedad Industrial (ASIPI) y seguida en mayo de 2015 en San Diego, California, en la reunión anual de INTA. En ambas ocasiones por invitación recibida de los organizadores para dictar conferencias Realizan panel de Propiedad Intelectual Previo a la firma de este convenio, se realizó el panel sobre “La Propiedad Intelectual y el Poder Judicial” desde la perspectiva latinoamericana donde el magistrado presidente de la CSJ participó junto con la magistrada de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Paraguay, Gladys Bareiro de Modica; y el juez del Tribunal de la Comunidad Andinade Justicia de Ecuador, Hernán Romero Zambrano. El magistrado Ayú Prado también expuso sobre el proceso que lleva Panamá ante la implementación de manera paulatina del Sistema Penal Acusatorio, sus bondades y fortalezas. Ver Video: Mossack Fonseca Panamá
(Mossack Fonseca) - Con éxito culminó la Primera Jornada de Comunicación Interna y su impacto en la empresa, organizada por el Sindicato de Industriales de Panamá (SIP), el pasado martes 17 de noviembre del presente año, con el objetivo de contribuir a gestionar las estrategias que han sido pensadas para alcanzar los objetivos comunicacionales internas en las organizaciones.
Asociación Internacional de Marcas realizará en Panamá conferencia anual de liderazgo
La Asociación Internacional de Marcas (INTA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció que la Conferencia Anual de Liderazgo para Latinoamérica, será llevada a cabo del 17 al 20 de Noviembre, en el Hotel Hard Rock, en la ciudad de Panamá. De acuerdo con sus organizadores, será el mayor evento organizado por INTA en Latinoamérica hasta el momento, y uno de los más importantes debido a que se han convocado las marcas más relevantes a nivel nacional e internacional. Dentro de dicho encuentro, se conformarán diversos comités de trabajo, dentro de los cuales Mossack Fonseca, reconocida por su vanguardia y calidad profesional, ha sido aceptada para colaborar participando en dos mesas de trabajo, lo cual ratifica el profesionalismo y compromiso que caracteriza al equipo legal y administrativo de la empresa. Sanz de Acedo, uno de los miembros principales de INTA, explicó que para realizar este evento se ha escogido a Panamá debido a que es uno de los países con más alto crecimiento empresarial y económico en Latinoamérica. INTA es una organización que busca defender las marcas comerciales y la propiedad intelectual teniendo en cuenta siempre la seguridad y tranquilidad del propietario de las marcas, para de esa manera lograr un comercio justo. Monday, November 16th, 2015
The Supreme Court of Panama has ruled that it is constitutional to register ship mortgages in English. According to the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), registering naval mortgages in Spanish (the official language of Panama) as well as incorporating the original documents in English will provide greater reliability and efficiency in the registration of ownership of ships. The AMP reports that financial institutions can now view the original mortgage-related documents on their website. On October 20, 2015, Raquel Araúz, Esq., the head of Mossack Fonseca’s (MF) Intellectual Property Division, gave a highly informative interview to representatives of the MF Marketing Division.
Raquel, we would like our readers to get to know you; please tell us about yourself and your career prior to working at MF My pleasure, I’m 38 years old, and for the past 10 years I have been working here at MF. I started out as a legal assistant for Attorney Sara Montenegro. I then began developing the Intellectual Property (IP) Division with the guidance of Attorney Joanna Soto. I have been the director of the IP division since its inception four years ago. Prior to joining MF, I spent several years working as an IP executive assistant, specializing in managing and protecting trademark portfolios. Please tell us about your legal and continuing education I attended the Latina University (Universidad Latina) in Panama where I studied law and political science. I have been a member of the International Trademark Association and the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property for the past six years. The International Trademark Association is a congress that brings together around 10,000 IP agents and lawyers. A group of our lawyers, along with the IP Division have been working really hard with these two associations. Last year, for the first time, we attended the International Anti-counterfeiting Coalition meeting―they are an organization focused solely on combating product counterfeiting and piracy. We also regularly attend local seminars and congresses to continually update our knowledge base. In May of this year, my colleague Attorney Li An Chong and I were invited by the Panamanian consulate in Venice to talk about our complete range of legal services, as well as IP matters. We discussed the benefits of trademark registration with the Venice Chamber of Commerce and the Verona Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Attorney Amauri Batista is a member of the International Offices Committee and the International Trademark Association. Please tell us more about your team here at MF I am fortunate to have a talented and highly committed team. I have an extremely able attorney, Jorge Gutierrez, who recently earned his master’s degree in litigation procedure. I also have a business administrator, Milena Pinilla, who is my IP analyst, and Eric Carvajal who is my legal assistant―he is in charge of monitoring our litigation process before the court. The team works directly with and is supported by a truly outstanding group of lawyers in our Legal and Trust Services Department. What are the benefits of going to MF instead of another provider? First and foremost, our dedication to quality service: MF is the only ISO 9001 certified law firm in Panama. We have over 500 staff members across every continent, and more than 35 years of experience. Our clients can register and protect their trademarks, patents, and copyrights not only in Panama, but in any country in the world, through our allied offices. We offer the highest commitment and most competitive costs and to our clients. How would you define intellectual property? It is the development of ideas, the creation of the mind, our inventions, dreams, art, and designs that should be protected―to make them unique. It is important to protect the rights over those designs, products or services―for many reasons―to avoid third parties taking advantage of your work. That’s the way I see it, I see it in a very passionate way. Keep in mind that intellectual property goes beyond simple trademark registration―it is everything that comes after that, and we work hard to ensure that no one else can take advantage of our client’s dream. Please give us some specific examples of what constitutes intellectual property Sure, we have been protecting trademark registration for all kinds of products and services―everything from cosmetics, fashion, sports, medical and pharmaceutical goods, education, entertainment, financial services, management, and many others. Right now we are working with software developers. In fact, recently we have been working on protecting software developed by the Microsoft Corporation. We protect Giorgio Armani which is one of our strongest trademarks. We also provide trademark protection for Terpel, a company with over 2,000 gas stations in Central and South America. Have you worked with artists? Yes, I can give you a quick list off the top of my head of artists/celebrities that we are representing: Ingrid De Ycaza and Alfonso Bayza, both well-known singers; Ana Lucia Herrera, a local television producer; a well-known DJ, who goes by the stage name BK; Delian Arjona, a celebrity chef; Jossy Jimenez, a TV personality; Marita Art, an artist and painter; and the Mollar Group, who make hats and clothing with indigenous Panamanian designs. What about authors of books or articles? One example I can think of right away is Arriane Benedetti, who wrote the book “Más que Hermanos”. We made the copyright for her a month ago. Have you worked with the pharmaceutical industry? Sure, right now we represent the Megapharma Group, as well as Pharmavital, S.A., a company whose main products are anti-aging and life-lengthening medicines. Have you worked with the food industry? Oh, yes, absolutely. We are currently registering and protecting products such as bottled water (Aquacai), juices, hats, rice, condiments, dairy, and more. We also register and protect franchises (Chip a Cookie, Wendy´s) and well-known local restaurants (Athen´s Pizza, Brava) and, likewise, we are obtaining sanitary registrations before the Health Ministry―for all kind of foods, including: Ubuntu, maker of all-natural orange and pineapple juices. That’s great. Let’s talk about trademarks, trade names, and designations of origin trademark registration. Can you give us a brief overview of this part of your work and give an example? Sure. What we mostly do is trademark registration in Panama and abroad; 80% of our clients contact us because they want to centralize their trademark registration in Latin-America through our office. We are able, with our global reach, to provide that kind of service, from the availability search to obtaining the final trademark certificate. A good example is Mays Zona Libre, an import-export company located in the Colon Free Zone, with more than 25 trademarks in more than seven countries, including some in the Caribbean Islands. We also provide comprehensive guidance and service to entrepreneurs. And when you say global reach, do you have connections with law firms all over the world? Yes, all over the world. We have a huge list of IP lawyers and agents for each country throughout the world. We have more than one allied office in each country and we have been developing these relations through the years―so right now we are covering the entire world. For example, recently we started working with a client that creates software that is very similar to the Android Operating System―and they designed and manufactured a new smartphone. They developed their trademark in Honduras and we have been registering their trademark throughout all of Central and South America with enormous success. What about the area of patents and industrial designs? Right now, we have only 11 patents, but we are looking to greatly increase our market share in this area with a major marketing campaign scheduled to begin in January 2016. We are working on a brochure and a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Specifically, we are working on a campaign that should reach pharmaceutical labs like Pfizer and Genomalap―and we would like the labs that we are already representing for trademark registrations to also use us for their patent registrations. How about copyrights and related rights. Can you give us a brief overview and an example? We have been registering copyrights involving audio, media, books, software, and others. The software copyright is for Microsoft. Recently, we applied for the copyright of Aquacai―it involved the design of their water bottle―the bottle has a unique form that should be protected because in the bottom they have a mound from which the water is extracted. We protect that copyright for them not only in Panama but also in China and the USA. What about litigation? We have an experienced team of litigation lawyers at MF. Attorneys Sara Montenegro, Li An Chong, Amauri Batista, Alexandra Kourany, and Jorge Gutierrez, have all been defending the rights of our clients before the commercial courts, in the commercial area of civil matters. Sara Montenegro has a long history of winning cases. I’ll give you an example. We had a client who was a professional athlete. She had a contract with a company that took advantage of her by claiming to have registered her alias. She wanted to use her alias to start her own clothing line. Unfortunately, the other company was already using her alias to sell clothing and other sports-related products. We soon found that she had never authorized the company to use her alias. At the end of the legal process we won the cancellation of the trademark. As you know, Panama is a major logistical center for the transfer of goods through the Colon Free Zone. It is an ideal location to protect trademarks. Counterfeit goods are damaging in two ways: they drive down the prices of the legitimate product and, because they are typically of inferior quality, damage the brand as well. We work closely with the Customs Office to protect our clients’ interests, and do not hesitate to institute litigation whenever necessary. Regarding the areas of sanitary or health and medical registration―we touched on it a little bit earlier, but would you expand on that area for us? Yes, well, in addition to food and pharmaceutical registrations that we talked about earlier, we have been requesting registrations before the health ministry for cosmetics such as shampoos, conditioners, and personal hygiene products which are also regulated by the government. MF offers a full-suite of legal and financial services―how does that help you in the IP Division? It helps tremendously. MF is a one-stop shop where our clients can manage all of their legal and financial matters with one company. We offer our clients company formations, accounting services, asset management, immigration, trusts, foundations, and many other products and services. We also offer our secure, client portal whereby our clients can access their accounts 24/7 from anywhere in the world. We are making a huge effort to promote not only IP services, but all that MF has to offer. It helps our clients to know that we have a multi-disciplinary team that is always prepared to give them the very best service in the industry. El pasado mes de octubre se realizó con éxito la final del VI Concurso Rotario de Ortografía 2015, evento organizado por el Club Rotario Panamá Sur en conjunto con el Ministerio de Educación. En el mismo participaron jóvenes de 7, 8 y 9 grados de las 15 regiones educativas de nuestro país, resultando ganadora Kerube Jaramillo del Colegio Benigno Tomás Argote de la provincia de Chiriquí.
Esta iniciativa busca incentivar la práctica de valores como la disciplina y la responsabilidad, y reafirmar el uso de las reglas de nuestro idioma. En la foto: Sr. Ceferino Torres del Depto. de Contabilidad del Grupo Mossack Fonseca y Sr. Heraclio Rojas, Rotario miembro del Comité de Ortografía. Mossack Fonseca: Asociación de marcas internacional realiza conferencia anual de liderazgo11/18/2015 Del 17 al 20 de noviembre se realizará la Conferencia Anual de Liderazgo para Latinoamérica.
Del 17 al 20 de noviembre, próximos, la Asociación Internacional de Marcas (INTA, por sus siglas en inglés) realizará la Conferencia Anual de Liderazgo para Latinoamérica. De acuerdo con los organizadores, el evento será el mayor organizado por INTA en Latinoamérica hasta el momento y uno de los más importantes debido a que se han convocado las marcas más relevantes a nivel nacional e internacional. ‘Para realizar este evento se ha escogido a Panamá debido a que es uno de los países con más alto crecimiento empresarial y económico en Latinoamérica', señaló Sanz de Acedo, uno de los miembros principales de INTA. De acuerdo con la fuente, dentro del encuentro se conformarán diversos comités de trabajo, dentro de los cuales Mossack Fonseca, reconocida por su vanguardia y calidad profesional, ha sido aceptada para colaborar participando en dos mesas de trabajo, lo cual ratifica el profesionalismo y compromiso que caracteriza al equipo legal y administrativo de la empresa. INTA es una organización que busca defender las marcas comerciales y la propiedad intelectual teniendo en cuenta siempre la seguridad y tranquilidad del propietario de las marcas, para de esa manera lograr un comercio justo. La reunión de liderazgo liderado por la Asociación Internacional de Marcas se llevará a cabo en el Hotel Hard Rock Panama. La comprador entrega al agente Escrow el dinero para la compra del bien y este profesional se convierte en protector de sus intereses
Si como visitante a Panamá, está entre sus planes adquirir un bien inmueble y le invaden las dudas sobre quién cuide que la transacción cumpla eficientemente con todo el proceso de compra venta, lo más probable es que necesite los servicios de un abogado con capacidad de actuar como un agente de servicios Escrow. Aunque suene curioso este término Escrow, su génesis proviene del francés antiguo y aplicaba a ‘escroue', rollo o pergamino, que podía ser de bonos o escritos para alguna transacción comercial. En la prestación de este importante servicio, la parte interesada entrega al agente Escrow el dinero para transacción que se desarrollará por la compra del bien y éste profesional, con capacidades y conocimientos legales y de bienes raíces, se convierte en un garante que custodia, protege y procura que el agente cumpla con todas las obligaciones contraídas en la transacción que vaya a realizar el inversionista. Aunque este tipo de servicios se centraba primordialmente en países anglosajones, en la actualidad el ritmo económico y de desarrollo que tiene el país, permiten que el Escrow se extienda hacia diversos y complejos mercados, lo que requiere de un nivel participativo a través firmas legales responsables con vasta experiencia en este campo. En Panamá, estos servicios se brindan de manera óptima, cumpliendo con las condiciones y tiempos establecidos en los contratos Escrow, a través de profesionales de firmas con sólido prestigio como Mossack Fonseca, preparados para ofrecer así adecuadas soluciones para que clientes internacionales puedan invertir con seguridad en terrenos y propiedades en Panamá. El servicio Escrow es sin lugar a dudas un importante vehículo que depende de una relación contractual previa, como cuando se realizan contratos accesorios, con la modalidad de que el agente es el profesional quien puede ayudar a facilitar los pagos relacionados con este tipo de transacciones inmobiliarias. A veces, cuando deseamos conseguir nuevas propiedades, el tiempo, los medios y el conocimiento jurídico se limitan a tal punto que los agentes Escrow logran convertirse en facilitadores para garantizar que todas las operaciones vinculadas a esta adquisición tengan una figura de confianza que lleven a buen puerto la intención de invertir en el patrimonio. Así, la importancia del servicio radica en el hecho de estar a miles de kilómetros de alcance para concretar una buena transacción comercial, apostando al país, con todas las garantías y acciones que protejan su inversión. Las personas que contratan este servicio pueden descansar en el mejor criterio de quien lo represente para que se dé cumplimiento a cada una de las obligaciones contractuales que se desarrollen en la actividad inmobiliaria. Al final, se trata de confiar en un tercero para que se honre lo pactado en un contrato que logre la feliz adquisición del bien inmueble soñado, ya sea en la urbe capitalina o en algún paradisíaco destino de Panamá. |
About USThe Mossack Fonseca Group is a leading international corporation which provides comprehensive legal, trust, technological and accounting services. With over 500 staff members in all continents, Mossack Fonseca provides personalized advice based on more than 36 years of experience in the market. They also offer world-class service through their exclusive online services which are available 24 hours a day. Archives
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