Process of design registration:
- Conduct a preliminary search: Before applying, you should conduct a search to ensure that your design is unique and has not been previously registered or publicly announced. The Argentine National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) offers online search tools for searching.
- Prepare the application: Prepare the application according to the instructions above.
- Application: Submit the above application to INPI.
- Inspection and Publication: INPI will review the application to determine if the design meets the requirements for registration. If approved, the design will be published in the Official Gazette.
- Objection period: During the period of publication in the official gazette, third parties can file an objection to the registration.
- Registration: If no valid objections are filed, the design will be registered and you will receive a certificate of registration.
Required Documents:
The official language of an Argentine design application is Spanish.
An application must contain at least the following:
- a request to register an industrial design;
- name and address of the applicant(s);
- a clear representation of the design (drawings, photos or digital reproductions).
The original Priority Document is not required, but the sworn translation into Spanish must be provided within 3 months from the filing date if requested by the Office.
The legalisation by apostille or by Argentine Consul and notarization of a Power of Attorney is required. The digital copy of the POA should be provided within 40 business days from the filing date.
The term for filing an industrial design application in Argentina claiming conventional priority is six months from the priority date. The restoration of this term is not possible.
Time Frame:
Registration of a design application takes a week on average if there are no Office Actions or late filings of some documents.
In Argentina, the standard term of protection for an industrial design is 10 years from the date of filing the application.
Note: There is no extension mechanism: Unlike some other countries, Argentina currently does not have regulations on extending the term of protection of industrial designs
Multiple Designs:
Multiple design applications are possible in Argentina, provided that they belong to the same class of the international classification of industrial designs and they do not exceed 20 designs per application.