Provides advice on IPR protection, including information on the registration of patents and trademarks.
Last Published: 8/6/2019

Jamaica has one of the stronger intellectual property (IP) protection regimes in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Property Rights Index, although legislative and enforcement gaps still exist.  Jamaica is a member of a number of multilateral IP regimes, and has signed bilateral agreements with the United States which provide assurances to protect IP (see Investment Climate Statement section on “Intellectual Property Rights” for more details).  U.S. companies can register patents and trademarks through the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), which also supports investors’ efforts to enforce their rights.

Jamaica has been cited in the Special 301 Watchlist for the past 20 years since its patent and industrial design regime does not meet WTO Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) requirements.  Furthermore, Jamaica, along with some other Caribbean countries, have been cited in the Special 301 Report for,  among other things, concerns regarding unlicensed broadcasting of copyrighted television programming .   

In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective management of their intellectual property.  For background, please link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.

IP Attaché Contact
Claudia Rojas
Address: U.S. Embassy Mexico City Paseo de la Reforma 305 Colonia Cuauhtémoc 06500 México, D.F.
Telephone: +52 55 5080-5226
E-mail: claudia.rojas@trade.gov
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.