CILGlobal IP

Intellectual Property
solutions company

Service
Areas

TRADEMARKS

Trademarks are a sign, phrase, or symbol that identifies a product or service.

Benefits of Trademark Protection.

By registering a trademark a proprietor is afforded protection of his mark since he is granted exclusive right to use the said mark to identify his goods and/or services. Trademark protection is also enforced by the Supreme Court of Belize and is directed at eliminating unfair competitors, such as counterfeiters, who use similar marks to market inferior quality products.

CILGlobal IP offers the following trademark services:

Opposition of Trademarks in Belize
Opinions with regards to Trademarks
Renewal of Trademarks in Belize
Registration of Trademarks in Belize
Application for change of Agent
Trademark searches
Registration surrender

Click for more information on Trademarks

PATENTS

Utility and design patents give you the exclusive property right to an invention.

Benefits of Patent Protection

Because a patent grants an exclusive right in an invention, persons interested in making, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing the invention must obtain the consent of the inventor. The inventor is then in a position to license or sell this exclusive right to others. Are there any limitations to patentability? It is important to note that there are certain statutory requirements to the issuance of a patent:

No patents may issue on inventions that have been described in a printed publication, offered to the public or for sale, for more than a year.

If the invention has been patented in a foreign country, it must not have been filed more than one year ago.

Patents may only be issued to the inventor or inventors that created the invention.

A patent must be non-obvious. This means that the invention or improvements must not be of a type that would be obvious to another person similarly skilled in the art of the invention.

A utility patent must be useful.

Design Patent

Design patents may be granted on a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. The design patent protects only the ornamental design features of an article, not its functionality.

Utility Patent

A utility patent protects the functional aspects of an invention, and may be issued on any new or improved machine, material or process classified as: Simple Mechanical Complex Mechanical Electrical Software.

Utility Patent: Provisional versus Non-Provisional Patent Application

You can secure a filing date for a UTILITY PATENT by filing either a PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION (PPA) or NON-PROVISIONAL APPLICATION (NPA). An NPA is examined on the merits and if the invention is patentable, will result in a patent registration. On the other hand, a PPA will not be examined on the merits and will NOT result in a patent registration. A PPA will abandon within one year. You can secure a filing date for a DESIGN PATENT by filing a Design Patent Application (DPA).

Why file a Provisional Patent Application?

A person wishing to secure a filing date in order to prove first invention may do so more quickly by filing a Provisional Patent Application (PPA). A PPA costs significantly less and need not satisfy the strict requirements of a NON-PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION (NPA). Instead, the inventor need only provide sufficient disclosure of the invention to enable another person similarly skilled to make and use the invention. Also, a PPA gives an inventor one year to decide whether to file an NPA while still claim the filing date of their PPA as their invention date. A PPA cannot be filed for design patents.

Click for more information on Patents.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Industrial design protects products based on unique aesthetic design elements.

Benefits of Industrial Design Protection

The protection of an industrial design is related to preserving the value of a product based on the aesthetic design of it. For example, motor car designs are commonly protected as industrial designs to prevent competitors from cloning the design and simply re-branding it. Consumers tend to purchase items based on how attractive it is. These items include shoes, clothes, electronics, perfumes and jewelry. Therefore, it is understandable that a designer would want to protect the rights in their creative work.

Industrial design protection is typically sought when a product will be reproduced on a commercial scale since the protection is done to prevent exact replicas of the registered design. The time period for protection is limited, generally to 15 years maximum, with some countries requiring renewals at 5-year intervals within that time. Although this period may seem very short, a rights holder can still strategize ways to continue commercializing the rights to their creative work based on the copyright protection which exists for a much longer period.

Click for more information on Industrial Design.

COPYRIGHTS

​Copyright protects works of art, music, literature & software.

Why register your work?

A copyright is a form of protection applicable to original works of authorship set in a distinct medium of expression. It protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are utilized. A copyright application can be filed for both published and unpublished works. Examples of copyright protectable work:

• source code of computer software
• artwork on clothing
• pictures on a coffee mug
• photographs
• textual work on websites, brochures, books, etc.
• sculptural works such as jewelry and statues

The copyright registration process is voluntary, but timely registration is recommended because certain statutory damages and attorney’s fees are available to a successful litigant who has registered his or her work within 3 months of publication or before an alleged infringement occurs. Furthermore, some authors wish to have their work publicly made of record in the event others wish to know the author of a work.

Domain Name Disputes
The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a process established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the resolving disputes over domain names.When a registrant chooses a domain name, the registrant must “represent and warrant,” that the registration of the domain name “will not infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of any third party.” The registrant must also agree to participate in arbitration proceedings if a third-party alleges such a violation has occurred.To file an official complaint under the UDRP, a complainant must establish three elements:

The domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or mark in which the complainant has rights;

The registrant does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the domain name; and

The registrant registered the domain name and is using it in “bad faith.”

If a Complainant is successful, the domain name will be transferred to the Complainant. Currently, the UDRP applies to the following top level domain names:

.aero .asia .biz .cat .com .coop .info .jobs .mobi .museum .name .net .org .pro .tel .travel

UDRP applies to some top level country code domain names

Click for more information on Copyright.

OTHER IP

Including geographical indicators, cultural IP and genetic resources.

Comprehensive IP Protection

Intellectual Property (IP) is a diverse field which constantly changes and expands to include new areas and the identification of various rights which need to be protected. The staff at CILGlobal IP have previous exposure to and expertise in several areas apart from the traditional IP areas of Trade Marks, Copyright, Patents and Industrial Design. We are also available for consultation and partnering with private and public entities on more complex areas of IP. Some of the IP rights and services that we can offer include:

• IP Management
• IP Strategy Building
• IP Audits
• Protection & Enforcement of:
• Geographical Indications
• Cultural IP (including Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions)
• New Plant Varieties
• Genetic Resources

Click for more information on Other IP.

ENFORCEMENT

IP rights require vigilant monitoring and enforcement to be effective.

Monitoring & Enforcement Protection

Taking steps to protect your intellectual property (IP) is an important aspect of preserving the rights and value of that IP. However without vigilant enforcement when there are breaches of the rights by a third party, the effort of protecting the IP becomes less useful. The benefit of protection exists in the ability to choose who can and cannot be authorized to access and use that IP. For example, if an exclusive agreement has been signed with a manufacturer to produce a product which is based on a registered design, then failing to enforce against another manufacturer producing the product without permission may be a breach of contract and result in drastic losses.

It can be very difficult to monitor one or several products in various jurisdictions to ensure that there is no breach of IP rights occurring there. Some jurisdictions, including Belize, have provisions for the border authorities to monitor the entry of goods and to identify and report those which are, to their knowledge, illicit. CILGlobal IP offers the service of effecting a recordal of intellectual property rights with Belizean border authorities to allow for increased vigilance for our clients’ rights at land, sea, and air ports of entry. We have a phased procedure where we inform our clients each step of the way as to the status of monitoring, any matters needing reporting/instruction, and then the legal enforcement against the illicit traders through criminal and/or civil means. We take the process to full completion for our clients’ which includes observing and verifying the destruction or delivery up of the illicit goods based on clients’ instructions.

Click for more information on Enforcement.
DOWNLOAD - Registration Forms

Our Vision

CILGlobal IP believes that everyone should be able to afford to protect their intellectual property. To ensure this, we have a two-tiered fee structure; one for large companies and another for smaller companies and individuals. All of our fees are based on a transparent, flat-fee payment system - giving you access to professional IP services at a reasonalbe price.

Our dedication to personalized and professional service, our strategic network of global partners through the CILTrust Group and our membership within the International Trademark Association (INTA) makes CILGlobal IP your natural choice when you want to protect your intellectual property.

Memberships & Professional Affiliations

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OUR TEAM

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Joy Godfrey

Director

Joy Godfrey has an extensive background in financial industries with experience in financial services, banking and international taxation and is the director and owner of CILGlobal IP, a Belize-based financial company with global outreach and offices.  CILGlobal IP works with a strategic network of specialized attorneys around the globe to secure trademarks and patent protections worldwide.

In addition, Joy is the managing director of a prominent Belize law firm, Godfrey Law.  She also has a strong understanding of the modern business world with experience in Fintech (Financial Technology), Blockchain and AI (Artificial Intelligence).  She provides her clients with expert advising and consulting on matters that relate to financial services, international compliance and taxation regulations, and business formation and requirements.

Tel: +501-223-3717
services@cilglobalip.com

Hirisnel Grimaldo Sucre

LL.B, LLM, CLE

Hirisnel is a corporate generalist attorney with substantial legal experience. He places a high premium on providing preemptive legal support on corporate structures, asset protection, intellectual property and contract drafting in Spanish and English.

He has studied English in the United Kingdom, and has a Masters Degree in Intellectual Property from Comillas Pontificial University, Spain and his law degree from Universidad Católica Santa María La Antiguadad, Antigua.

Hirisnel has worked globally with clients and practices in the areas of intellectual property law, construction contracts, public bids processes, tax, fiduciary investing, regulations, compliance as well as estate planning, primarily in Belize, Panama, and Spain.

Tel: +501-223-3717
services@cilglobalip.com

OUR CONTACT INFO

35 Barrack Road, Belize City Belize

Email: services@cilglobalip.com
Tel:  +501-223-3717

Click Here to Find Us

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