Bolivia (BO)
04-04-2010 (Newsletter Issue 9)Official Fee Reduction for Second-Level DomainsNIC Bolivia has announced that as of April 1, 2010, second level ".BO" domain names prices charged to registrars were slashed by almost 35 per cent. No price change has been announced for third level (e.g.: .com.bo) domain names.
Source: www.nic.bo 02-18-2010 (Newsletter Issue 7)
Substantial Increase of Official Fees
The trademark fees from filing to registration have increased from USD 50.00 (approx. EUR 36.00) to USD 225.00 (approx. EUR 164.00).
Source: Moeller IP Advisors, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Legal basis is the Trademark Act of July 1995 and the Andean Pact Decision, in force since December 1st, 2000.
Bolivia is a member of the Andean Pact. According to the Andean Pact Decision agreement, there are common rules in trademark law in all member states of the Andean Pact (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru).
The international classification of goods and services consisting of 45 classes has been adopted.
Trademark protection is obtained by registration.
Registrable as a trademark are all distinctive signs, including three-dimensional forms and sound marks.
The following trademark types are registrable: trade marks, service marks, collective marks, certification marks and trade names.
The application is filed at the Patent Office.
A separate application has to be filed for each class, there is no multi-class system of application.
Foreign applicants need a local agent.
A notarised power of attorney authenticated by a Bolivian Consulate is necessary.
Foreign applicants do not need a domestic registration.
The application process includes a formal examination and a search for prior trademarks.
The processing time from first filing to registration is approx. 12 months. The first office action is taken after approx. 2 to 3 months.
The trademark application is published approximately 6 months after the application date.
The opposition period is 30 days from publication date of the application. Oppositions are also possible by owners of trademarks in other member states of the Andean Pact.
Protection begins with the date of registration. A trademark registration is valid for 10 years from the date of registration. The registration is renewable for periods of 10 years.
If the trademark has not been used for a continuous period of 3 years in a member state of the Andean Pact, it becomes vulnerable to cancellation.
The official fees for trademark registration are USD 225.00 (approx. EUR 164.00)
| Search type |
First class |
Add. class |
| Word Mark Search (availability) |
230,00 € |
190,00 € |
| Word Mark Search (identical) |
210,00 € |
150,00 € |
| Extended Search (word mark, company name, domain) |
690,00 € |
190,00 € |
| Device Mark Search (availability) |
490,00 € |
330,00 € |
| Trademark Owner Search |
210,00 € |
|
| Company Name Search |
540,00 € |
|
| Domain Name Search (extended) |
|
|
| i-Search (word mark availability + legal opinion) |
390,00 € |
370,00 € |
The Prices above are S.M.D. Markeur Search Fees