– Law No. 354 on Patents of Invention, Utility Models and Industrial Designs, effective from November 25, 2000, amended on March 22, 2006, September 13, 2007 and April 3, 2020.

– Convention on Patents of Invention and Industrial Designs and Models signed in Buenos Aires, August 20, 1910.
– Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), since May 5, 1985.
– Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, Stockholm Act, since July 3, 1996.
– WTO’s TRIPS Agreement, since January 1, 2000.
– The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille), since May 14, 2013.

Applicant: the author or his assignee.

Foreigners: have to appoint an attorney-at-law in Nicaragua.

Kinds of designs: (a) goods characterized by structure, shape or aesthetic ornamentation; if the shape provides an industrial result or technical improvement, protection as a utility model should be applied for; (b) arrangements of lines and/or colors applied for ornamental purposes to any class of goods.

Not registrable: if the design is characterized by a technical function or if it is a necessary form of the product.

Novelty: absolute or worldwide.

Priorities: as for “trademarks“.

Filing requirements for an application (to be sent to resident patent attorney):
1. Name and domicile of applicant;
2. Power of attorney, legalized either by Apostille or up to the Nicaraguan Consulate;
3. Description of the model or design and its peculiarities;
4. Class and subclass selected;
5. Prints or pictures of the design.

Electronic filing: not available. 

Electronic signatures: are not accepted (only wet signatures).

For a change of name or address:
1. Change of name/address document, legalized either by Apostille or up to the Nicaraguan Consulate in the country where issued;
2. Power of attorney reflecting the new name/address, legalized either by Apostille or up to the Nicaraguan Consulate in the country where issued.

Formal examination: amendments/corrections of application as to form can be made within thirty business days from the official notification.

In-depth examination: is to determine if the object of the application is an industrial design and if its protection is not excluded.

Publication and remarks: an advertisement is published in the Official Gazette one time. It is possible to file remarks to the application as for “patents of invention“.

Beginning of protection: from date of grant.

Delivery of document: the registration certificate is issued in paper format.

Duration – extension: five years, renewable for two additional five-year periods. Further extension are not possible. Industrial designs also have protection for three years from the disclosure date.

Nullification actions: possible through judicial proceeding in the civil courts.

Infringement: imitation and infringement are punishable.

Penalties: as for “patents“.