Bolivia
The Bolivian Patent System
Bolivia’s IP Office
The Servicio Nacional de Propriedad Intelectual (SENAPI) is the governmental body that controls intellectual property rights in Bolivia. The SENAPI office was created in 1997 and is within the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy.
Filing Patents in Bolivia
To obtain a patent in Bolivia, an application must be filed with the SENAPI. Under Bolivian law, patents include inventions, utility models, industrial designs and schematic designs of integrated circuits. Registrations of utility models and designs last for 10 years, while patents for inventions last for 20 years. Bolivia is also a member of the Paris Convention, allowing for priority claims from a previous application complying with the Paris Convention.
Recent IP Legal Trends in Bolivia
SENAPI has been in a state of turmoil in recent years. The leadership has been replaced several times and many of the employees are under-experienced. For the Bolivian patent system to improve, SENAPI must find stability in its regime.