Cuba, US hold first talks on intellectual property

HAVANA - Cuba and the United States have held their first talk on the issue of intellectual property, the island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

A statement revealed that Daniel Marti, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at the White House visited Havana on Sept. 8-9 and met with representatives of the Cuban Office of Industrial Property, the National Center of Copyright, the Faculty of Law of the University of Havana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

Marti was accompanied by officials from the State Department, the Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

"In this first official meeting between Cuba and the US on intellectual property, the parties exchanged views on current regulations in the respective countries ... and the legal framework of the two states for the protection of trademarks, patents and legal copyright," read the statement.

The Cuban officials explained to their US counterparts the guarantees offered for the protection of industrial property, including the registration of over 6,000 American brands.

They also expressed concern about the ongoing US embargo, which affects the recognition of the rights of Cuban trademarks and companies, especially in the case of the well-known Havana Club and Cohiba brands.

Havana and Washington reestablished diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015 after 54 years of political enmity.