Paraguay is currently in the Watch List of the Special 301 Report.  While the Paraguayan government has continued efforts in some sectors to strengthen intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement, including holding the first meeting of its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Interagency Coordination Center (ICC), the country has failed to make notable progress on IP convictions or meet key prior commitments to strengthen its capacity to protect IPR.  As described in Notorious Markets List reports, voiced in private sector comments, and evidenced by Paraguay’s weak penalties in IP cases, Paraguay must increase its IP protection and enforcement efforts even further, particularly in Ciudad del Este.  

In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. For background, link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.”

• Locate your IP Attache at IP Attaché Program | USPTO.
• For more information, contact ITA’s Office of Standards and Intellectual Property Rights (OSIP) Director, Stevan Mitchell at Stevan.Mitchell@trade.gov.

For additional information on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, visit the U.S.  Investment Climate Statement website.