A patent is a way of protecting an invention, so no one else can make use or obtain an economic benefit from it. In other words, it represents a protection figure of these ideas, projects or developments that are valuable.
Lorena Rodríguez, Regional Managing Director of ClarketModet Mexico and Central America, highlights that an improvement in the patent innovation ecosystem brings with it a greater collection of both foreign and national investments, and therefore an impulse to the economic growth of a country.
In 2024, the two greatest powers on the planet, that is, China and the United States, were leaders in patent applications, with 70,160 and 54,087, respectively, according to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) points out that in the same period 10,897 patents were granted, but of these only 694 or 6.3% were for Mexican citizens, the highest figure in the last 30 years.
Rodríguez, who collaborates in the largest international industrial and intellectual property group in Latin America, explains that many of the patents that are in the country are abroad because multinational companies protect their ideas when they arrive in Mexico.
Why is it important to promote patent registration?
Daniel Jacobo, associate dean of research and postgraduate scientists for the School of Engineering and Science of Tec de Monterrey, points out that people have to know the relevance and importance of protecting their ideas, projects or developments.
“When an entrepreneur wants to go to seek investment and has intellectual property becomes much more attractive to investors because that entrepreneurship has something unique and an important value compared to others,” he says in an interview. “A relevant thermometer to know how much a country is innovating is correlated with the number of patents and the number of applications has in different sectors,” he adds.
Lorena Rodríguez emphasizes that despite the fact that anyone can patent their invention, it is necessary to comply with a series of criteria required by Mexican Law: “(It requires) a novel criterion, that is, it is totally new. It cannot have been disclosed before by anyone.”
Both interviewees agree that to register a patent in Mexico it is advisable to have some type of advice, since the process can take three to five years, and includes exams and a rate that can reach 30,000 pesos. In addition to the fact that once the registration is obtained, you have to pay for annual maintenance.
Why are there few patents in Mexico?
The Tec de Monterrey researcher states that Mexico suffers from a low registration of patents due to the lack of culture on the protection of ideas, so he urged to implement awareness and higher education programs so that the relevance of the protection of intellectual property is known.
He adds that in the institution where there is a committee that evaluates – before going to the implementation of patent and inventive activity to accompany the inventor in the registration process.
Government impulse
Santiago Nieto, head of the IMPI and institution in charge of registering patents, recently said in Querétaro that they will seek to raise to 1,000 the number of patents granted to Mexicans this year.
Lorena Rodríguez highlights the greatest commitment of the federal government in this area because the issue of innovation rose in category with the creation of the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, by Rosaura Ruiz, in the cabinet of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Government began to open calls that bring funds, as well as conduct agreements with countries in Latin America and Europe, which generates the interest of entrepreneurs, he adds.
Daniel Jacobo commented on the case of Jalisco, an entity that represented about 21% of patent applications last year nationwide: “Jalisco has a super interesting strategy of impulse to culture, intellectual property, which is something that has to work hard in the country so that we can have more patents.”
He adds that the State performs events in universities where the intellectual culture is promoted where it is also aware of the importance of writing a patent to avoid delays in registration times.
