Intellectual Property: A Controversial Issue in the USMCA Review?

Intellectual Property (IP) attorney José Luis Villareal was quoted in Grupo Reforma's Propiedad Intelectual magazine analyzing the challenges Mexico faces on intellectual property protection ahead of the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review. Mr. Villareal pointed out concerns raised in the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) Special 301 Report, including weak enforcement against counterfeiting and piracy, lack of statistical reporting on IP enforcement, pending regulatory reforms and gaps in protection across the pharmaceutical, agricultural and digital sectors. He warned that, under growing pressure from the United States and Canada, intellectual property is likely to emerge as a contentious issue in the review process, particularly given the limited progress on investigations and prosecution of infringements.

"The Priority Watch List of the Special 301 Report indicates that the country has not reported statistical data on the enforcement of intellectual property rights over the previous five years, which is why, five years after the USMCA entered into force, concerns about the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights have not improved," he said.

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