Trademarks, patents & intellectual property in the Dominican Republic
Your international trademark portfolio does not cover the DR — protection here is a national ONAPI filing. We search, file, prosecute and enforce so your brand is yours in this market. The same desk files your patents: 20-year ONAPI grants, PCT national-phase entries and design protection — one team for the whole IP portfolio.
Why the Dominican Republic needs its own filing
The DR is not reachable through the international trademark systems many brand owners rely on elsewhere — rights here are created only by a national registration before ONAPI under Law 20-00 on Industrial Property. The DR is also broadly first-to-file: whoever registers first generally wins, regardless of who used the brand first abroad. If you sell, franchise, license or manufacture here, filing early is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
What our IP desk handles
- Availability searches — knock-out and full searches before you invest in a name.
- Trademark filing & prosecution — applications, office actions and publication through to certificate.
- Oppositions & cancellations — defending your application or challenging conflicting marks.
- Renewals & recordals — 10-year renewals, assignments, licenses and franchise recordals.
- Patents & industrial designs — protection for inventions, utility models and product designs.
- Copyright — registration of works before ONDA under Law 65-00.
- Enforcement — cease-and-desist strategy, customs measures and anti-counterfeiting actions.
The registration timeline
- Search & strategy — classes selected under the Nice system; risks flagged before filing.
- Filing at ONAPI — application lodged with priority date secured.
- Publication & opposition — third parties have 45 business days to oppose; silence is golden.
- Examination & grant — ONAPI examines and, when clear, issues your certificate, valid 10 years.
Launching a product as well as a brand? Pair your filing with DIGEMAPS sanitary registration so the product itself can legally ship while the mark is prosecuted.
Patents, utility models & industrial designs
The same Law 20-00 that protects your brand protects your inventions. The Dominican Republic grants invention patents for 20 years from the filing date (kept in force by annual fees), utility models for 15 years, and industrial designs for 5 years, renewable up to 15 — all examined and granted by ONAPI, all first-to-file, all prosecuted in Spanish.
Because the DR is a PCT contracting state, an international application can enter the national phase before ONAPI — generally within 30 months of the earliest priority date — and Paris Convention priority is available for direct filings. Our desk handles:
- PCT national-phase entries and direct patent filings before ONAPI.
- Certified Spanish translations of specifications and claims, coordinated with your patent counsel abroad.
- Prosecution end to end — office actions, publication and observations, through to grant.
- Annuities and renewals on a monitored calendar, so rights never lapse over a missed fee.
- Assignments, recordals and licensing of granted rights.
- Patentability and freedom-to-operate searches in the Dominican register.
Engagement scope — Trademark search & filing (ONAPI)
Who it’s for
Brands entering the Dominican market or closing the DR gap in an international portfolio.
What’s included
- Availability search and a written registrability opinion
- Application drafting and ONAPI filing
- Publication monitoring through the opposition window
- Responses to simple examiner observations
- Registration certificate delivery and renewal calendaring
You’ll need
- Applicant details
- The mark (wordmark and/or logo file)
- The goods or services it covers
- Power of attorney (we prepare it)
Main stages
- Search and opinion
- Filing
- Publication and opposition window
- Examination
- Certificate
Government and third-party fees are billed at cost, separately. A written professional-fee scope is provided after the initial matter review.
Frequently asked questions
Does my US, EU or international registration protect me in the DR?
No. Rights in the Dominican Republic require a national application before ONAPI. Foreign registrations can support priority claims in limited cases, but they do not by themselves stop a local filer.
How long does trademark registration take in the DR?
A smooth application typically reaches certificate in roughly 4–6 months, driven mainly by the publication and 45-business-day opposition stage. Contested files take longer; we quote realistic timelines after the search.
What does the “first-to-file” rule mean for me?
It means registry priority usually beats marketplace history. If a distributor, ex-partner or squatter files your brand first, recovering it is possible but slow and costly — filing before you enter the market avoids the fight entirely.
Can we bring our PCT application into the Dominican Republic?
Yes. The DR is a PCT contracting state, so your international application can enter the national phase before ONAPI — generally within 30 months of your earliest priority date. We prepare the certified Spanish translation, file the entry and prosecute it through to grant.
How long does a Dominican patent last?
Invention patents run 20 years from the filing date, kept in force by annual maintenance fees. Utility models are protected for 15 years and industrial designs for five, renewable up to fifteen. We calendar every deadline so nothing lapses.
Let’s get your trademarks & ip matter moving
Free consultation, plain-English answers, and a written fixed-fee quote for most matters within one business day.
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