Who it is for
Companies, startups and owners who need an enforceable sign before spending on brand, packaging or expansion.
Practice
Trademark registration
An enforceable identity before the SIC: classes, prior marks and defense of the sign in Colombia and, if needed, abroad.
In Colombia
Andean Decision 486, the SIC’s Single Circular and, for international registration, the Madrid Protocol (Law 1455 of 2011). Registration lasts ten years and is renewable.
How we help
A trademark is any perceptible sign capable of distinguishing goods or services: words, logos, colors or combinations. The SIC examines distinctiveness and likelihood of confusion; third parties may oppose after publication in the Industrial Property Gazette.
Registration is territorial: a foreign mark is not protected in Colombia by that fact alone. If the business crosses borders, the country map must follow commercial priority, not inertia.
When it makes sense
- Before investing in packaging, ads or a location with a name already chosen
- When a third party files a similar sign or uses it in the market
- When franchising, licensing or opening a distribution channel
- If you will export or sell on marketplaces outside Colombia
How we work it
- 01Prior-mark search and collision risk in the Nice classes that matter to the business
- 02Definition of the sign, the owner and the list of goods or services
- 03Filing with the SIC, replies to office actions and follow-up through the decision
- 04Watch services, oppositions, non-use cancellation and infringement defense once the sign is in the market
What usually arrives
- The name is already in use, but someone else filed first with the SIC
- The application covers one class while the business operates in three
- A partner or an agency appears as owner without that having been decided
- There is an opposition or a published sign that looks too close
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
- Prior-mark search and collision risk
- Application and follow-up of registration in Colombia
- Ownership strategy and Nice classes
- Watch services, oppositions and infringement
- A protection map abroad when the market requires it
Other areas
Invention patents
Novelty, inventive step and industrial application: from the idea to a title before the SIC — or to the decision not to patent.
Industrial designs
The appearance of the product as an asset: novelty, registration before the SIC and defense against catalogue copies.
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.