Cuba Trademark Information

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is located in the Caribbean Sea off the southern coast of the United States state of Florida. The population is estimated at 11,237,000 with a GDP of $111.1 billion.

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,656 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2007.

Trademarks are assigned by the Cuban Industrial Property Office under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment. Cuba is a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years, renewable for further periods of 10 years.

Pursuant to President Clinton’s announcement of 6 October 1995, the United States Department of the Treasury has amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to permit payments of expenses for intellectual property protection in Cuba. Transactions relating to the registration and renewal in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office of patents, trademarks, and copyrights in which the Government of Cuba or a Cuban national has an interest are authorized. Payments from blocked accounts or otherwise of fees currently due to the United States Government in connection with these transactions are authorized. Payments from blocked accounts or otherwise of the reasonable and customary fees and charges currently due to attorneys or representatives within the United States in connection with the transactions are authorized. For additional information, refer to the Code of Federal Regulations- 31 CFR Part 515.