Venezuela

• Available Market Research
• Best Prospects in the ICT Market
• Chambers of Commerce
• Channels of Distribution
  • Agents / Distributors
  • Business to Business (B2B)
    • Banks
    • Newspapers
    • US Subsidiaries
  • E-Commerce
    • Internet Service Providers
  • Educational
  • Governmental
  • Telecommunications Systems Operators
  • Used and Reconditioned
• Directories and Databases
• Duties, Tariffs & Taxes
• General Country Information
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Legal Issues
• Local Suppliers
• 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/export.html. 

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Best Prospects in the ICT Market

For further information about the Venezuelan 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)

Banks

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Newspapers

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US Subsidiaries

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E-Commerce

Internet Service Providers

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Educational

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Governmental

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Telecommunications Systems Operators

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Used and Reconditioned

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

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Directories and Databases

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Duties, Tariffs & Taxes

The Andean Community is a Customs Union because the goods of its member countries circulate unimpededly throughout its territory free of duties of any sort, while imports from outside the Subregion pay a common tariff.

The Andean Customs Union has been in operation since 1995, when the Common External Tariff (CET) approved by Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela at the basic levels of 5, 10, 15 and 20 percent came into effect. Bolivia enjoys preferential treatment and only applies levels of 5 and 10 percent, while Peru did not sign that agreement.

In the Santa Cruz Declaration of January 2002, the Andean Presidents stipulated that "Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela will apply a common external tariff by December 31, 2003, at the latest.” Accordingly, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and the Treasury, Foreign Trade and Agriculture of the five CAN member countries on October 14, 2002 decided on the CET that is shown in Annex I to Decision 535. On April 14, 2003, the Andean countries put the finishing touches to the agreements for the adoption of a CET, thus bringing an important stage in the integration process to an end.

For ICT specific information, please visit: http://web.ita.doc.gov/.

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General Country Information

http://caracas.usembassy.gov/	Embassy of the US, Calle F con Calle Suapure
http://www.latinworld.com/	Latin World - Information on exporters, news etc.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/	Lonley Planet World Guide
http://www.terra.com.ve/	Terra Venezuela, Email: terra@corp.terra.com.ve
http://www.state.gov/	US Dept of State's Background Notes
http://travel.state.gov/	US Dept of State's Consular Information Sheet
https://www.cia.gov/	CIA Factbook
http://travel.lycos.com/	Lycos guide to Venezuela
http://www.eia.doe.gov/	US Dept. of Energy's Country Analysis Briefs
http://geography.about.com/	About's guide to Venezuela
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://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/	Georgetown Universities Political Database of the Americas

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Intellectual Property Rights

Venezuela is an active member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  It is also a signatory to the Bern Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Geneva Phonograms Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention, and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.  Through Andean Community Decision 486, Venezuela has ratified the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).  However, it is still in the process of implementing these provisions.  The GOV is also working to get a new Industrial Property Law approved by the National Assembly (Congress), as well as promoting the ratification of the WIPO treaties.  Venezuela remained on USTR's Special 301 "Watch List" for the annual review completed in April 2003.
 
Patents and Trademarks
 
Venezuela provides the legal framework for patent and trademark protection by the newly enacted Andean Community Decision 486, which substitutes for Decision 344, and the 1955 National Industrial Property Law.  Andean Community Decision 486 takes major steps towards bringing Venezuela into WTO TRIPS compliance, but without corresponding local laws Venezuela is not completely TRIPS compliant.  Andean Community Decision 345 covers patent protection for plant varieties.  A customs law, which includes provisions for TRIPS-consistent border controls to impede the importation of pirated goods, came into effect in November 1998.
 
A significant patent issue continues to be the patentability of "second uses" of pharmaceutical products.  The Andean Tribunal's 2002 interpretation of articles 14 and 21 of Decision 486 led to a hardening of Venezuelan policy with regard to second-use patents and to Venezuela revoking previously issued patents (as with Pfizer's for Viagra).  There are as many as eight similar products awaiting patents while the Government of Venezuela decides whether they qualify as inventions or as new uses.
 
Copyrights
 
Andean Pact Decision 351 and Venezuela's 1993 Copyright Law provide the legal framework for the protection of copyrights.  The 1993 Copyright Law is modern and comprehensive and extends copyright protection to all creative works, including computer software.  A National Copyright Office was established in October 1995 and given responsibility for registering copyrights, as well as for controlling, overseeing and ensuring compliance with the rights of authors and other copyright holders. 
 
The government formed COMANPI (a branch of the Venezuelan police force) in July 1996 to act as an enforcement arm of the National Copyright Office.  This police unit has the power to seize goods, make arrests and close establishments for violations of the law.  However, it can only act based on a complaint by a copyright holder and cannot carry out an arrest or seizure on its own initiative.  COMANPI works closely with private sector representatives of the U.S. copyright industry, who provide the unit with intelligence information, financial backing and training.  Lack of personnel, coupled with a very limited budget and inadequate storage facilities for seized goods, has limited COMANPI's effectiveness.  Due to COMANPI's understaffing, several U.S. corporations have chosen to approach and coordinate raids with the National Guard based on tax evasion rather than IPR infringement issues. 
 
Venezuela does not automatically recognize foreign patents, trademarks or logos, so foreign investors must be sure to register patents and trademarks appropriately and in as many categories as are applicable.  Investors are advised not to have agents or distributors act as proxies because agents can then claim that they are the registered owners of the trademark in question.

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Legal Issues

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Local Suppliers

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Market Research

Note:  For additional information on the Venezuelan market, please check "Venezuela WebGuide" prepared by the Michigan District Export Council and the Ypsilanti  US Export Assistance Center.

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Search Engines

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Technical Standards

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Trade Associations

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Trade Publications

N/A

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Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars

Additional information on how to prepare for and select an international trade show can be found at http://www.exportmichigan.biz/. 

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User Groups

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E-Mail Links to the Respective Industry Specialist(s)

Ms. Mariana Hines, Commercial Specialist

Telephone: 58-2-975-9541, 975-9495

Facsimile: 58-2-975-9643

E-mail address: mariana.hines@mail.doc.gov  

Industry Sectors: Computer Services (CSV), Computer Software (CSF), Computers/Peripherals (CPT), Telecommunications Eq. (TEL)

STREET ADDRESS

US Embassy

Calle F con Calle Suapure, Colinas de Valle Arriba

Caracas,

Venezuela

U.S. MAILING ADDRESS

US Embassy - Caracas

Unit 4958, APO AA 34037

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Revised: November 08, 2008

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