Mexico

• Available Market Research
• Best Prospects in the ICT Market
• Chambers of Commerce
• Channels of Distribution
  • Agents / Distributors
  • Business to Business (B2B)
    • Airlines
    • Banks
    • Newspapers
    • US Subsidiaries
  • Consultants
    • Software
    • Telecommunications
  • E-Commerce
    • ASP
    • ETailers
    • Internet Service Providers
  • Educational
  • Governmental
  • Leasing
  • OEM
  • Retailers
  • Telecommunications Systems Operators
  • Used / Reconditioned
  • VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators
    • VARS
    • Resellers
    • System Integrators
• Directories and Databases
• Duties, Tariffs & Taxes
• General Country Information
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Legal Issues
• Market Research
• Search Engines
• Technical Standards
• Trade Associations
• Trade Publications
• Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars
• Trade Statistics
• User Groups
• E-Mail Links to the Respective Industry Specialist(s)

Available Market Research

Industry Sector Analyses are industry specific reports prepared either by US Commercial Service Staff or local market research contractors.   Typical reports include:

• A Market Overview
• Market Highlights and Best prospects
• Statistical Data
• Best Sales Prospects
• Competitive Analysis
• End-User Analysis
• Market Access (includes information on duties, taxes, standards etc.)
• Trade Promotion Opportunities
• Trade Publications
• Market Research Companies
• Trade Associations
• Agents, Distributors and Manufacturers

International Marketing Insights (IMI) contain industry specific information and are short, concise reports.  

For a listing of available ISAs and / or IMIs, please click here.

This information is available free of charge to all US companies. 

Welcome to the U.S. Commercial Service

The U.S. Department of Commerce is represented worldwide by the Commercial Service.  The Commercial Service supports U.S. commercial interests and assists American businesses in their export marketing efforts.

Our offices offer business counseling and a wide range of tailored services to assist American firms to identify business opportunities throughout the world. Our offices foreign companies who wish to partner with American companies in areas of distribution of American products, joint ventures, and licensing. While some services are fee-based, many are provided free of charge. We welcome you to our site and encourage you to visit other websites that are likely to be of interest to you.  To find the country of interest, please visit: http://www.buyusa.gov/home/us.html 

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Best Prospects in the ICT Market

For further information about the Mexican market, please consult the Country Commercial Guide.

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Chambers of Commerce

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Channels of Distribution

For further information of the definitions of the channels of distribution, please click here. The following are known ICT sales channels.   They may or may not be available in all markets.

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Agents / Distributors

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Business to Business (B2B)

Airlines

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Banks

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Newspapers

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US Subsidiaries

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Consultants

Software

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Telecommunications

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E-Commerce

ASP

ETailers

Internet Service Providers

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Educational

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Governmental

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Leasing

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OEM

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Retailers

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Telecommunications Systems Operators

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Used / Reconditioned

Please visit: http://web.ita.doc.gov/.

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VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators

VARS

Resellers

Systems Integrators

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Directories and Databases

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Duties, Tariffs & Taxes

US shipments to Mexico are eligible for duty free treatment under NAFTA.  

For Tariffs and Taxes on Computer Hardware and Software, please visit: http://web.ita.doc.gov/.

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General Country Information

http://www.tourbymexico.com/	General information of Mexico for a foreign visitor
http://www.state.gov/	US Dept of State's Background Notes
http://travel.state.gov/	US Dept of State's Consular Information Sheet
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/	US Embassy, Mexico City
http://www.mexico-trade.com/	Useful information about doing business in Mexico.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/	Department of Energy's Country Analysis Brief
https://www.cia.gov/	CIA Factbook
http://mexico.start4all.com/	Mexican Web Portal with links to Telcos, airlines and more.
http://www.latinworld.com/	Mexican Web Portal
http://mexicochannel.net/	Mexico Channel
http://travel.lycos.com/	Lycos guide to Mexico
http://www.fodors.com/	Fodors is known for being the best site for travel offering hotel, restaurant reviews and their series of mini-guides to specific destinations.
http://travel.state.gov/	Bureau of Consular Affairs
http://geo.international.gc.ca/	Country Information
http://www.bajaquest.com/	GENERAL INFO ABOUT THE COUNTRY OF MEXICO
http://www.tourbymexico.com/	General Information about Mexico
http://www.virtualmex.com/	General information about Mexico, culture, visiting, hotels, health care, ... VIRTUAL MEXICO splits the country into 4 main geographical areas:
http://www.usig.org/	Mexico Country Information
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/	Mexico Travel Guide | Mexico Travel Information Guide
http://www.mexonline.com/geninfo.htm	MexOnline.com general country reference and directory, information resources and general travel guides.
http://www.worldinfozone.com/	World InfoZone contains information and news for all countries.
http://www.oecd.org/	OECD Mexico Centre, Av. Presidente Masaryk 526, 1er piso, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, C.P 11560, Mexico, Tel: (5255) 91 38 62 33, EMail: mexico.contact@oecd.org, Fax: (5255) 52 80 04 80"
http://geography.about.com	About's guide to Mexico

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Intellectual Property Rights

Mexico has a solid legal framework for intellectual property right (IPR) enforcement, but lacks aggressive enforcement and prosecution. Many Mexican judges do not regard intellectual property crimes as serious offenses; therefore very few federal prosecutors take the time to bring counterfeiters to court. As a result, IPR-related convictions remain at low levels. Mexico has signed and ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet Treaties – the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty – that modernize the international system of copyright and related rights to deal with the challenges of the digital age. Although Mexican officials continue to make efforts to improve the IPR enforcement environment, in May 2004, for the second straight year, the U.S. Trade Representative placed Mexico on its Special 301 watch list for countries with inadequate enforcement of IPR.

The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad   Industrial, IMPI) is the legal authority charged with administering and protecting intellectual property rights in Mexico.

Intellectual property rights are divided into two basic categories.  The first, the invention side, includes patents, utility models, industrial models, industrial drawings, and trade secrets.  The second classification, the distinctiveness side, includes trademarks, trade names, slogans, and designation of origin.  Consequently, two different laws exist for the protection of intellectual property, The Industrial Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Industrial) and the Federal Copyright Law (Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor).

In 1994, the Industrial Property Law was reformed considerably and the IMPI was created as a public decentralized legal body.  The most significant reform to the Industrial Property Law in 1994 allows authorities to halt activities presumed to be illegal during infringement proceedings rather than waiting for a court decision to be made.  This change occurred as a result of the need to provide more efficient enforcement and to harmonize Mexican law with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  Offenders are now required to pay fines rather than receiving imprisonment for violations.  Nevertheless, the criminal code and several other statutes are currently being debated in the Mexican Congress as part of a campaign to discourage criminal conduct through tougher penalties.  The IMPI experienced another significant change in 2000 when it strengthened regulatory protection for intellectual property and doubled its workforce.  In addition, Mexico signed the Patent Cooperation Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland in 1994, which allows for simplified patent registration procedure when applying for patents in more than one country at the same time.  This reduces registration procedures and costs.

Mexico is a signatory of at least fifteen international treaties including the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the NAFTA.  However, it is necessary to register any patent or trademark in Mexico in order to claim an exclusive right to any given product.  A prior registration in the United States does not guarantee its exclusivity and proper use in Mexico, but serves merely as support for the authenticity of any claim you might make, should you take legal action in Mexico.

The required documents for filing a patent application with the IMPI are:

1.    Application duly filled out and signed with four copies.
2.    Original payment receipt and two copies.
3.    Detailed description of the invention to be protected in Spanish
language and three copies thereof.
4.    Drawings, flowcharts, photographs, blueprints, etc.
5.    Power of Attorney Document, if the case is handled by a Mexican
attorney, duly certified and legalized by Apostille as per the Hague Convention.
6.    Assignment of Invention signed by the inventor(s) as assignor and the legal representative of the company as assignee.
7.    Priority document, with its Spanish translation, if the patent is filed under the Paris Convention.  Claiming a Patent priority has to be done within the first year after the registering the invention in the country of origin.
8.    All documents filed before the IMPI must be in Spanish.


In order to motivate independent inventors, the IMPI will give a fifty percent discount in official rights when presenting an Affidavit Document in original and signed by the inventor.

For further information regarding patent registrations please contact:

Instituto Mexicano de la Propieded Industrial
Fabian Salazar Garcia
Patent Division Director
Arenal No. 550 Col. Tepepan Xochimilco
C.P. 16020 Delegacion Xochimilco
Mexico
Tel: (011-52) 5334-0710 Ext., 5010

In order to avoid paying for third-party rights' infringement in the event that a prior trademark is in existence, experts recommend a search by class, phonetics, and multi-class before presenting a trademark application before the IMPI.  Once a favorable search has resulted, the trademark application can be presented attaching the following documents:

1.    Application duly filled out and signed with four copies.
2.    Original payment receipt and two copies.
3.    Trademark prints.
4.    As per the International Classification, it is necessary to indicate
the corre