National Industrial Property Institute (Portugal)
Encyclopedia
The National Industrial Property Institute or the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property, in Portuguese Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial, known also by its acronym INPI, is the Portuguese office which deals with the protection of trademark
s, patent
s, utility model
s and industrial design
. Its headquarters is in downtown Lisbon
.
It was created under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Trade on 28 July, 1976, as a reform on the old Industrial Property Agency. INPI is now an Autonomous Government Institution, with legal personality, as well as administrative and financial autonomy, and independent assets. It functions under the supervision and guidance of the Minister of Justice, with regards to the definition of specific policies relating to industrial property.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s, patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, utility model
Utility model
A utility model is an intellectual property right to protect inventions. This right is available in a number of national statutes, as described below...
s and industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
. Its headquarters is in downtown Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
History
The creation of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in 1976 envisioned the formation of an effective and efficient organization, one that would provide a quality government service as well as promote partnerships with companies, and support competition based on innovation.It was created under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Trade on 28 July, 1976, as a reform on the old Industrial Property Agency. INPI is now an Autonomous Government Institution, with legal personality, as well as administrative and financial autonomy, and independent assets. It functions under the supervision and guidance of the Minister of Justice, with regards to the definition of specific policies relating to industrial property.