Intellectual Property Law, effective May 19, 1998; Regulations to Intellectual Property Law, enacted in February 1990 R.O. # 120. Decision 486 of the Cartagena Agreement, enacted on December 1^st, 2000, Decision 345 of the Cartagena Agreement; Regulations for the protection of vegetal varieties, effective July 20, 1994; Decision 291 of the Cartagena Agreement, dealing with foreign investments and licensing, Decree No. 415-93: Rules for applying norms to foreign investments, effective January 13, 1993. Law No. 46-97 for the promotion and guaranty of investments, effective December 19, 1997. Matters not covered by Decisions 486 and 345 continue to be regulated by the domestic laws of Ecuador.

Intellectual Property Law, enacted on May 19, 1998;

Transitional Provisions

Pending applications at the Patent Office shall be handled according to the new Intellectual Property Law. Any industrial property right validly granted should be ruled according to the legislation in force at the granting date, except the validity of registrations, which has to be modified in accordance with Decision 486. Regarding “patents” and “trademarks” no modification in the validity term was stated.

The Supreme Court shall organize the district courts for intellectual property cases.  Meanwhile, intellectual property district courts are established, the Contentious and Administrative Courts are in charge of Intellectual Property cases, except the injunction actions, which remain under competence of civil judges.

Conventions

Cartagena Agreement. Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIP’s). Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.  Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Definitions

“Industrial Design” is an assembly of lines or combination of colours or any two or three-dimensional external forms which are incorporated in a product, giving it a special appearance, without changing the destination or use of such a product.

“Utility Model” is any new form, configuration or arrangement of the elements of any device, tool, instrument, mechanism or any other object, or any part thereof, which permits the object to work and to be used or allows an improved or different manner to use it, or give some use, benefit or technical advantage that it did not have.

Who May Apply

Application for an industrial design may be filed by its creator or by a successor or assignee.

The provisions relating patents of invention are applied regarding utility models.  Thus, the application for a utility model may be filed by the inventor or his assignee, whether a natural or artificial person.  When the model was created jointly by several persons, they hold the right in common.  Models created by employees under contract belong to the employer.  The right over a design or utility model patent belongs to the first who applies.

Novelty

An application must be filed before the design or model has been made accessible to the public anywhere, through description, use, or any other means.

The applications filed for a design in one Andean Community Country, or in any other country granting reciprocity or in one Paris Convention Member Country, enjoy six months of priority for obtaining registration in any of the other Andean Community Countries.

Regarding models, certain provisions from patents of invention are applied.  Thus, disclosure of a model within the year preceding the filing date of the application, or the claimed priority date, does not destroy novelty, provided that such disclosure was made by:  (1) the inventor or his successor; (2) a National Intellectual Property Office that, in violation to the law, published the contents of the application; (3) a third party who would have obtained the information directly or indirectly from the inventor or his successor; (4) an evident abuse or (5) exhibition of the invention at an exposition, or when, for academic or research purposes, publication of the work is necessary to continue with its development.

Not Registrable

The following may not be registered as designs (Decision 486, article 116):

1. Designs that are contrary to moral or public order.
2. Designs which appearance depends on technical considerations or functions.
3. Designs that consist only in a form necessary to operate or connect the product.

1. Artistic and architectural works, and purely aesthetic objects.
2. Processes and matters that are excluded from the protection of a patent of invention.

The registration confers to the owner the right of exclusively use, and the right to authorize others to use it.

Priority  

The first application for a registration of a Design or Model validly submitted in a Member Country of the World Trade Organization, the Andean Community or the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property confers to the applicant a priority of six months for industrial designs and one year for utility models.

Procedure

The applications are filed before the National Director of Industrial Property, who examines the formal requirements. The applicant is notified of deficiencies in the application and has sixty working days to submit corrections. The applications that meet the formal requirements are published.  If no oppositions are filed, or if they are rejected, a novelty examination is conducted regarding the utility models and, after approval, the title is issued.

The National Office will not examine the novelty of an industrial design application unless a grounded opposition is filed. However, if the lack of novelty is evident the National Office may deny ex-officio the application. (Decision 486, article 124).

Documents Required

1. Power of Attorney duly legalized up to the Ecuadorian Consulate.  If the assignee is the applicant, he must sign the power.

2. Application indicating the class for which protection is applied and the type of product(s) for which the design or model is destined, with a drawing or photograph of the product(s) incorporating the design or model.

3. Drawing and a camera-ready art.

4. Three copies of specifications and claims of the design or model, in Spanish or duly translated.

5. Assignment from Inventors duly legalized up to the Ecuadorian Consulate (this may include the Power).

6. Conventional priority: If a priority is claimed from a prior application, the date, number, and country must be mentioned in the application. Certified copy of the priority application can be filed belated. No Consular legalization is required

Note:  Documents that are not in Spanish language must be accompanied by an official translation.

Publication 

Once the formal requirements are met, the application is published in the Official Gazette, within twelve months as from the application date, or the priority date in case of utility models, or as soon as the formal examination is finished, in case of industrial designs.

Opposition  

Once publication is made, any person having legitimate grounds may oppose within the next thirty working days.

Following the procedures established for patents of invention, third parties are permitted to oppose. Upon request, the opposition deadline may be extended once. The applicant may reply to oppositions within thirty days.

Duration; Renewal  

The registration of industrial designs and utility models are valid for a non-renewable period of ten years, as from the filing date of the application.

Working

No provision has been made for industrial designs.

Concerning utility models, the patent’s provisions shall apply.  Thus, to avoid compulsory licenses, which can be granted by the Patent Office upon request from a third party the owner of a utility model, is required to work it within three years as from the granting date or four years as from the application date. It is mandatory to use a utility model or design, in any Member Country.

Compulsory License

No provision has been made for industrial designs.

Regarding utility models, the provisions relating to patents of invention are applied.  Three years as from the granting date, or four years as from the application date, anyone may be applied for granting a compulsory license on the grounds of:

1. The patented utility model is not being worked; 

2. The working has been suspended for over one year; or

3. Working failed to meet market demands on reasonable conditions as to quantity, quality, or price.

A compulsory license may be granted against the owner of a patent whose working is necessarily required to use another patent, provided he has been unable to obtain a contractual license in reasonable conditions.

Assignment; License:

Assignments and Licenses are permitted. However, to be effective against a third party, the assignment or licensing agreement duly legalized up to the Ecuadorian Consulate must be recorded in the Industrial Property Office.

Note:  Documents not in Spanish language must be officially translated.

Claiming actions. (Decision 486, Art. 237) 

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