Who it is for
Product brands, manufacturing and catalogues whose advantage is form, packaging or visual line.
Practice
Industrial designs
The appearance of the product as an asset: novelty, registration before the SIC and defense against catalogue copies.
In Colombia
Decision 486 and filing with the SIC. Typical protection is ten years from the application and, unlike a trademark, it is not renewable: afterwards the design falls into the public domain. Disclosing the piece before filing puts novelty at risk.
How we help
In consumer goods, furniture, packaging or devices, copies often arrive in the first weeks after launch. Filing after the fair or the social drop is, in many cases, arriving late.
The file needs clear representations of appearance. An incomplete render or an identical product already on a foreign market can kill novelty. We coordinate launch calendar, manufacturers and clauses on non-use of molds.
When it makes sense
- The competitive edge is in the silhouette, the packaging or the visual line
- You will manufacture with a third party that could replicate the mold
- There are copies at fairs, marketplaces or parallel imports
- Launch is close and no application has been filed
How we work it
- 01Assess whether what is distinctive is form (design), function (patent) or sign (trademark)
- 02Prepare views, novelty and ownership before disclosing
- 03Application with the SIC and follow-up through the certificate
- 04Infringement defense and rules with manufacturers and distributors
What usually arrives
- The catalogue is already published and the design has not been filed
- The manufacturer retains molds or tooling
- Industrial design is confused with copyright in a drawing
- The copy enters through customs or a marketplace
This text describes the general framework in Colombia. It is not legal advice and does not replace an engagement on specific facts.
What it covers
- Assessment of appearance as an asset
- Industrial design registration before the SIC
- Disclosure and launch calendar
- Defense against copies in the market
Other areas
Trademark registration
An enforceable identity before the SIC: classes, prior marks and defense of the sign in Colombia and, if needed, abroad.
Invention patents
Novelty, inventive step and industrial application: from the idea to a title before the SIC — or to the decision not to patent.
Copyright
Works, software and content: ownership from creation, DNDA registration and rules with whoever produces.
Contracts and deals
Drafting, review and negotiation of commercial and civil contracts: services, distribution, sale, collaboration, alliances and other business relationships.
Companies and corporate governance
Company formation, bylaw amendments, shareholders’ agreements, minutes, boards, meetings, regulations and support in corporate conflicts.
Competition, consumer and advertising
Preventive advice and defense on unfair competition, advertising, promotions, terms and conditions, complaints and sanctioning proceedings.
Litigation and dispute resolution
Representation in civil, commercial, corporate, administrative and IP proceedings, with a focus on risk and business strategy.
Compliance and risk management
Design of policies, matrices, protocols and compliance programs in contracting, corporate governance, consumer, competition, privacy and risk prevention.
Foreign investment and doing business in Colombia
Support for foreign companies on forming companies, branches, subsidiaries, local contracts, trademark protection and operating in Colombia.