Peru and Switzerland share a long history of cooperation in many fields – such as trade, development, as well as diplomatic and cultural exchange. It therefore comes as no surprise that establishing cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights (IPRs) was equally in the interest of both partners. The first phase of the PESIPRO project was thus implemented between 2019 and 2021. PESIPRO-II builds on the successful implementation of PESIPRO phase I as well as other Swiss cooperation projects on IP, and intends to help tackle gaps and challenges in the Peruvian IP system so that users can fully benefit from its potential for innovation and socio-economic development. PESIPRO-II is being implemented under the Global Program on Intellectual Property Rights (GPIPR) between SECO and the IPI.
Peru’s integration into the international system of IPRs is well advanced. The country is a party to most treaties relevant to IPRs, including the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) of the WTO and the Lisbon System on the protection of geographical indications of WIPO. The National Policy of Competitiveness includes the development of the country’s innovative capacity, in addition to the adoption and improvement of technology transfer. With these measures, the country aims to make its economy less dependent on exports of raw materials and accelerate its transition into an innovation-driven economy. The Peruvian authorities are aware that such a transition does not refer exclusively to technical or industrial innovation, but also essentially to “creative innovation”. Peru has a very dynamic international trade policy that manifests itself in several bilateral trade agreements.
Although Peru’s legal and institutional framework in the field of IPRs is well developed and the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) is very advanced in the management of all relevant IPRs, challenges still remain. These challenges mainly center around a continuous lack of awareness in the private sector and society as a whole of the importance of IPRs for protecting innovation, creativity, local products of high value and traditional knowledge, and for making economic use of it. Promoting the use of those types of IPRs that allow Peru to capitalize on its internal strengths is of particular interest to the Government of Peru and the overall goal of PESIPRO-II.

1 Why Peru? | 2 Objectives | 3 What we do | 4 Why IP | 5 Who benefits? | 6 Project Facts

In light of the advanced stage of Peru’s intellectual property system, the “filling-the-gap” approach of PESIPRO-I to address specific needs and requests adds the most value and appears to be the most appropriate strategy for achieving sustainable results and will be continued under PESIPRO-II. The project provides specialized advice and support in selected areas where Switzerland is able to offer strong expertise and achieve tangible results.
Within these thematic areas, the intervention strategy and its activities mainly consists of building technical capacity through training, workshops, and expert input, which are typically led by a national and an international consultant. These activities increase the capacity of Indecopi and other IP-related associations in delivering professional services. Furthermore, the project supports the concrete implementation of GI activities for two selected products – Café Villa Rica and Cacao Amazonas Perú. Capacity building in these two regions is expected to increase the income of local producers. The project thereby supports community development and product marketing activities.

1 Why Peru? | 2 Objectives | 3 What we do | 4 Why IP | 5 Who benefits? | 6 Project Facts