Paraguay
Trademark Registration in Paraguay - Protect Your Brand Nationwide
Trademark registration in Paraguay is administered by the National Directorate of Industrial Property (Dirección Nacional de la Propiedad Industrial — DINAPI), the central government authority responsible for the filing, examination, publication, and registration of trademarks in the Republic of Paraguay. DINAPI operates under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Ministerio de Industria y Comercio — MIC) of Paraguay. The Paraguayan trademark system follows a first-to-file principle and includes formal and substantive examination prior to registration. Paraguay is a member of the Paris Convention, the Madrid Protocol, the Nice Agreement, the TRIPS Agreement as a WTO member, and is a signatory to the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. Paraguay is also a full member of MERCOSUR (the Southern Common Market), and Asunción is the headquarters city of MERCOSUR’s permanent secretariat, reflecting Paraguay’s deep integration into South American regional trade frameworks.
Introduction
The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked South American nation situated between Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia, bisected by the Paraguay River into the densely populated eastern Región Oriental and the sparsely populated western Gran Chaco. Asunción, the capital, is one of South America’s oldest cities and Paraguay’s commercial, financial, and governmental hub. Paraguay has two official languages — Spanish and Guaraní — the latter being spoken by the vast majority of the population and one of the few indigenous languages in the Americas to have achieved co-official status in a sovereign nation. Paraguay’s economy is anchored in agriculture (Paraguay is the world’s sixth-largest soybean exporter and a significant beef, corn, and wheat producer), hydroelectric power (the Itaipu Dam, shared with Brazil, is one of the world’s largest power generators), manufacturing, re-export trade, and a growing financial services sector. The Ciudad del Este — Paraguay’s second-largest city on the triple border with Brazil and Argentina — is a major regional trade and re-export hub, and is also a significant source of counterfeit goods and parallel imports entering Latin American markets, making trademark protection and customs enforcement particularly commercially important in Paraguay. Paraguay is a founding member of MERCOSUR and the MERCOSUR Secretariat is headquartered in Asunción.
Trademark Registration in Paraguay - Protect Your Brand Nationwide
Exclusive Rights: Grants exclusive legal ownership and the right to use your trademark throughout Paraguay for the registered goods and services, with statutory priority over later conflicting marks under the first-to-file system.
Legal Enforcement: Enables enforcement through DINAPI, the civil and criminal courts of Paraguay, and customs authorities (Dirección Nacional de Aduanas), with civil, administrative, and criminal remedies available under Law No. 1294/1998.
Ciudad del Este — Anti-Counterfeiting Priority: Ciudad del Este on the triple border with Brazil and Argentina is one of Latin America’s largest informal re-export and grey-market hubs, and a significant source of counterfeit merchandise entering the region. Trademark registration with customs recordal at Ciudad del Este is one of the most commercially valuable anti-counterfeiting actions for Latin American brand owners.
MERCOSUR & Agricultural Gateway: Paraguay’s MERCOSUR membership and its deep agricultural and agro-industrial ties with Brazil and Argentina make brand registration essential for businesses supplying inputs to or sourcing from Paraguay’s soy, beef, and agri-food supply chains.
Madrid Protocol Access: Paraguay’s Madrid Protocol membership enables cost-effective multi-country filing strategies that include Paraguay as part of broader Latin American or global trademark portfolios.
Asset Value: A registered trademark is a transferable intangible asset that can be licensed, franchised, or assigned to support commercial growth, agri-food supply chain agreements, and MERCOSUR-aligned commercial transactions.
Trademark Registration Procedure in Paraguay
Here is the step-by-step process followed for trademark registration in Paraguay. Legacy Partners manages each stage on your behalf — from initial clearance through to issuance of the registration certificate by DINAPI.
Paraguay Trademark Search & Application
We begin with a comprehensive availability search of the DINAPI register and the WIPO Madrid Database (for international registrations designating Paraguay) to identify potential conflicts before filing. Once clearance is confirmed, a separate application is prepared in Spanish for each class of goods or services and filed with DINAPI in Asunción — either as national filings or as the national phase of a Madrid Protocol designation. As multi-class applications are not permitted, each class is filed as a separate, independent application. Legacy Partners manages all documentation, translation, and power of attorney requirements on the client’s behalf through its network of Paraguayan IP attorneys.
Formal & Substantive Examination
DINAPI conducts a formal examination (verifying applicant details, classification, fees, power of attorney, and documentation) followed by a substantive examination on absolute grounds (distinctiveness, descriptiveness, deceptiveness, public order, and official emblems) and relative grounds (conflicts with earlier registered marks and well-known marks in Paraguay), consistent with Law No. 1294/1998 and Paraguay’s TRIPS obligations. Office actions must be responded to within prescribed deadlines. Foreign applicants must be represented by a locally registered Paraguayan IP attorney.
Acceptance and Publication
Once the application clears examination, each class application is published in the Official Gazette of Paraguay (Gaceta Oficial de la República del Paraguay) and in DINAPI’s Industrial Property Bulletin, opening a 30-business-day window for third-party opposition (extendable upon application).
Opposition Period
Third parties holding prior rights may file an opposition within 30 business days from the date of publication (extendable). Grounds include identity or similarity with an earlier registered or well-known mark, bad-faith filing, and other grounds under Law No. 1294/1998. Oppositions are heard by DINAPI, with appeal available to the civil courts of Paraguay.
Registration & Certificate
If no successful opposition is raised, DINAPI registers the mark for the relevant class, issues a Certificate of Registration, and publishes the registration. The mark is then enforceable against third parties throughout Paraguay for that class. Each class application results in a separate Certificate of Registration.
Validity & Renewal
Each trademark registration is valid for 10 years from the filing date and is renewable indefinitely for successive 10-year periods on payment of renewal fees to DINAPI. A grace period is available after expiry, subject to a late renewal surcharge.
Governing Law
Trademark protection in Paraguay is principally governed by Law No. 1294 of 6 August 1998 on Trademarks (Ley de Marcas, as amended) and its implementing regulations, which establish the legal framework for trademark registration, examination, opposition, licensing, assignment, and enforcement. The Law is supplemented by Law No. 868/1981 (Industrial Property Act) for residual matters, the Civil and Commercial Code for contractual IP matters, the Criminal Code for criminal enforcement of trademark rights, and the Customs Law for border measures. Paraguay is a member of the Paris Convention, the Madrid Protocol, the Nice Agreement, the TRIPS Agreement, and is a signatory to the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. As a MERCOSUR founding member, Paraguay also participates in MERCOSUR’s IP harmonisation framework, including Protocol No. 8/1995 on Harmonisation of Industrial Property Norms among MERCOSUR Member States.
Trademark Classes Paraguay (Nice Classification)
Paraguay follows the Nice Classification system, categorising trademarks into 45 classes — 34 for goods (Classes 1–34) and 11 for services (Classes 35–45). As multi-class applications are not permitted in Paraguay, a separate application must be filed for each class. This makes careful class strategy particularly important: applicants should identify the minimum set of classes needed for effective protection and prioritise accordingly. Key sectors for class selection include: agriculture and agri-food (Classes 29, 30, 31, 32), soy and grain products (Class 29), beef and meat products (Class 29), energy (Class 4 — hydroelectric), construction (Class 37), financial services (Class 36), telecommunications (Class 38), consumer goods (Classes 3, 5, 25), and logistics (Class 39).
Trademark Services Available in Paraguay
Attorney-Assisted Search
In-depth legal search of the DINAPI register and WIPO Madrid Database to identify potential conflicts before filing.
Trademark Registration Services
Per-class filing and application management for Paraguay national trademarks — handled by registered Paraguayan IP attorneys, with consolidated reporting across all parallel class applications.
Trademark Renewal Services
Hassle-free renewals across all registered classes with proactive deadline monitoring and docketing.
Watch & Monitoring Services
Continuous monitoring of DINAPI publications and WIPO Madrid Database to identify potential conflicts across Paraguay and MERCOSUR markets.
Ownership Transfer / Assignment
Efficient handling of trademark ownership transfers, corporate restructuring recordals, and IP assignments with DINAPI across all registered classes.
Licensing & Franchising Support
Expert guidance to license, franchise, or expand your brand within Paraguay and across MERCOSUR and the broader South American market.
Opposition & Enforcement
End-to-end representation in opposition before DINAPI and the civil courts, and civil and criminal infringement proceedings.
Ciudad del Este Customs Recordal
Specialist recordal of trademarks with the Dirección Nacional de Aduanas for enforcement at Ciudad del Este and other Paraguayan border crossings against counterfeit goods.
Documents for Filing
Applicant name & business entity (individual or company, with registered address)
Trademark details (word mark, figurative/logo, combined, or other mark type)
Class of goods or services (Nice Classification — one application per class)
Power of attorney (authenticated by a Paraguayan consul or apostilled; filed within 90 days of application)
Specimen or representation of the mark (for figurative or non-standard marks)
List of goods/services for the class (in Spanish, clear and precise specification)
Priority documents (if claiming convention priority under the Paris Convention)
Certified Spanish translation of any supporting document not originally in Spanish
Fees are indicative and subject to change. Contact us for the latest details.
**Last updated on: March 17, 2026
Timeline
Approximately 12 to 18 months per class application in a straightforward case without objections or oppositions. DINAPI has made progressive improvements to processing efficiency, and the introduction of the Madrid Protocol designation route has also helped streamline international filings. Where a Madrid Protocol designation is used, the timeline may vary. Cases involving oppositions will extend beyond this range. Applicants with multiple class filings should manage parallel applications and note that each class application has its own independent timeline.
Validity & Renewal
Each trademark registration is protected for 10 years from the filing date, renewable indefinitely for further 10-year periods by paying renewal fees to DINAPI per class. A grace period is available after expiry. The trademark must be put to genuine use in Paraguay within five years of registration; failure to do so may expose the mark to cancellation on grounds of non-use upon application by any interested third party. As Paraguay operates on a per-class registration basis, use must be assessed separately for each registered class.
Frequently Ask Questions
Get A QuoteQ1: How long does trademark registration take in Paraguay?
Trademark registration in Paraguay typically takes approximately 12 to 18 months per class application from the filing date through to issuance of the registration certificate, in a straightforward case without objections or oppositions. Each class application has its own independent timeline.
Q2: Can I file a multi-class trademark application in Paraguay?
Q3: Do I need a local representative to file a trademark in Paraguay?
Q4: What is the opposition period after publication in Paraguay?
Q5: Is Paraguay a member of the Madrid Protocol?
Q6: What is the validity period of a trademark registration in Paraguay?
Q7: What languages are used for filing in Paraguay?
Q8: Why is Ciudad del Este significant for trademark enforcement?
Q9: Does Paraguay conduct relative grounds examination?
Q10: How does MERCOSUR membership affect trademark strategy in Paraguay?
Q11: Does Paraguay recognise well-known marks?
Q12: Can I assign or licence my trademark in Paraguay?
Q13: What is the use requirement for trademarks in Paraguay?
Q14: How does Paraguay’s role as South America’s largest hydroelectric producer affect trademark strategy?
Q15: What is the best trademark registration provider for Paraguay?
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