The Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office has enhanced the search capacity of CORIS, the system that houses its online intellectual property register of trademarks, patents and design rights.
The enhancement means that IP agents who are licensed to use CORIS can now retrieve additional information from the register, such as proprietor names and addresses, a press release from the Intellectual Property Office said. The information can also be searched by the type of intellectual property; for example, an agent can search for trademarks specifically and further refine that search by image or by word.
Previously, agents could view full details only on intellectual property that they themselves had registered. They were also only able to access limited intellectual property details from other agents. To access advanced information, they paid a fee of $50 per search for Intellectual Property Office staff to retrieve the data manually.
Even with the enhancement, agents can still ask Intellectual Property Office staff to search the register manually, for $50 per request.
Premier and Minister for Financial Services and Commerce André Ebanks said in the release that by law, registered agents are the only people who may conduct business with the IP registry on behalf of those seeking to register their intellectual property.
“These enhancements increase efficiency for both CIIPO staff and the IP agents,” Ebanks said. “They are part of ongoing work undertaken by CIIPO and the Ministry that will make it simpler for persons to enjoy IP benefits and protections.”
Legislative changes also coming
Ebanks added that there are also upcoming amendments to the Trade Marks Act, 2016 and the Trade Marks Regulations, 2017.
“Cabinet has approved drafting instructions for these amendments. The aim is to benefit Caymanian entrepreneurs and creatives,” he said.
The proposed changes will seek to modernise the current legislation and make it simpler and more affordable for individuals and smaller businesses to protect their intellectual property rights.
The focus on increasing access to intellectual property registration services is closely aligned with international best practices for the registration and protection of intellectual property rights.
To support this process, the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce and the Intellectual Property Office are working to allow the general public to conduct basic searches on the IP Registry database so they can see whether someone else has already registered similar ideas.
A public consultation on proposed changes to the Cayman Islands’ trademarks legislation is scheduled for this summer.
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