Countries › Panama › Guide › 13. Regulation › Intellectual property in Panama: trademarks, trade names, patents and DIGERPI fees under Ley 35 de 1996

Intellectual property in Panama: trademarks, trade names, patents and DIGERPI fees under Ley 35 de 1996

Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Status: Stable

Industrial property is registered with DIGERPI at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. Trademark, trade name and advertising slogan registrations last ten years from filing and renew indefinitely; patents last twenty years from filing and utility models ten years. The trademark filing fee is B/.100 per class, renewals cost the same, and late renewal adds B/.10 a month.

Panama's currency, the balboa (B/.), is at par with the US dollar, which circulates as legal tender; the Superintendencia de Bancos states that the balboa's value is on a par with the US dollar (checked 29 October 2026). USD figures therefore equal the balboa figures.

Key facts

Trademark registration term	10 yearsLey 35 de 1996 art. 109, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Trademark filing fee per class	100 PABLey 35 de 1996 art. 204 per Ley 61 de 2012, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Patent term	20 yearsLey 35 de 1996 art. 20 per Ley 61 de 2012, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Utility model term	10 yearsLey 35 de 1996 art. 26, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Industrial property office	DIGERPI (Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias) textLey 35 de 1996 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012, as of 2026-10-29 · in force

The rule

1. A trademark registration lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely for equal periods.Ley 35 de 10 de mayo de 1996, art. 109, 1996-05-10 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. Renewal must be requested between one year before and six months after expiry; otherwise the registration lapses automatically.Ley 35 de 1996 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012, art. 110, 2012-10-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. Trademark filing fee: B/.100 for one class, and for multi class applications B/.100 for the first class plus B/.100 per additional class; the same applies to keep applications pending ten years after filing alive.
Cost to do it: B/.100 (US$100) per class in official fees.
Example: A brand filed in classes 9, 35 and 42 costs B/.300 in filing fees. / US$300.Ley 35 de 1996 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012, art. 204, 2012-10-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

4. Renewal of a trademark, trade name or slogan costs the same as filing; the late renewal surcharge is B/.10 per month or fraction until filed.
Example: Renewing a one class mark two months after expiry costs B/.100 plus B/.20. / US$120.Ley 35 de 1996 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012, art. 205, 2012-10-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

5. Patents last twenty years from filing, subject to fees; DIGERPI extends the term of non pharmaceutical patents for grant delays attributable to it.Ley 35 de 1996 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012, art. 20, 2012-10-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

6. Utility model registrations last ten years from filing and cannot be extended; industrial designs expire ten years from filing in Panama.Ley 35 de 1996, arts. 26 and 79, 1996-05-10 official text · verified 2026-10-29

7. Trade names and advertising slogans are registered for ten years from filing and renew indefinitely.Ley 35 de 1996 (art. 151 as amended by Ley 61 de 2012), arts. 151 and 160, 2012-10-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29

8. The action to annul a trademark registration prescribes ten years after registration, except where registration was sought in bad faith, when it can be brought at any time.Ley 35 de 1996, art. 140, 1996-05-10 official text · verified 2026-10-29

9. Exercising intellectual and industrial property rights granted by law is not a monopolistic practice.Ley 45 de 31 de octubre de 2007, art. 4 num. 2, 2007-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Worked example

A foreign consumer brand entering Panama files its word mark in three classes for B/.300 (US$300) in official fees; the registration runs ten years from the filing date.

Step by step

Search the DIGERPI register before launch.
File trademarks in every class you will use, paying B/.100 per class.
Diarise renewal from one year before expiry; the grace period ends six months after expiry.
Register distributor or licence arrangements carefully so exclusivity clauses also respect competition law.

Common traps

Protection is counted from filing, not grant, so a slow examination shortens effective patent life (non pharmaceutical patents can get a delay extension).
Missing the six month grace period ends the registration automatically.
Fees cited are those set by Ley 61 de 2012; check DIGERPI's current schedule for any other charges such as publication.

Sources

← Environmental rules in Panama: impact studies before works start, MiAmbiente sanctions and ten year civil liabilityDisputes in Panama: courts under the new Código Procesal Civil, arbitration under Ley 131 de 2013, enforcing awards and judgments, and ICSID →

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