Within the framework of the government strategy to strengthen collaboration on intellectual property, the Vice Minister of Industries and Commerce, Eduardo Arango, met in Guatemala on October 24 with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Daren Tang, who reported on the country’s efforts in patent protection and research.

The vice minister highlighted the efforts of the Industrial Property Registry Directorate of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), which is advancing a draft of the Draft Law, whose review is in its final stage, and establishes the legal framework on transfer of technology and knowledge, stimulation of innovation and management of Intellectual Property rights in Panama.

This initiative, which is in line with the Government Plan 2024-2029 of President José Raúl Mulino, promotes interactions between universities and the outside world, where any form of Intellectual Property (IP) or know-how is transmitted or transferred in any direction, for example, between universities, university-company, university-State, to be able to develop new products and services that impact society. Besides, it is proposed that these research initiatives, which come from the academic sector, be remunerated.

“We are committed to creating an ecosystem that favors innovation and creativity in Panama. The meeting with WIPO and with the other countries in the region is a decisive step towards improving our intellectual property system”, said the vice minister, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industries of Panama.