The collective marks

The Law of Industrial Property contemplates diverse types of marks, within which we have to the collective marks, which are distinctive signs perceptible by the senses, which are used by organized collectivities, that is to say, by which only the associations or societies of producers, manufacturers, traders or service providers legally constituted, can differentiate in the market the products or services of its members from others of the same species or class, with the exception that the collective mark can not be transmitted to third parties of such form that its use will be reserved to the members of the association or society, who are obliged to comply with the rules of use of the collective mark, such as, for example, marketing strategies, production guidelines and quality standards in manufacturing , to achieve and comply with the specific characteristics of the products or services protected by the collective brand.

In general, the collective trademarks allow the owners of the sign to highlight particularities of their products or services, such as the origin, the materials or the way of manufacturing, having as direct benefits a greater preference for products and services of better quality, increase in the competitiveness of associations and societies to strengthen their place in the market through the preference and recognition of consumers, as well as seek to conquer new markets. While as indirect benefits we have the development of communities and growth in government support for small producers in various fields such as agri-food, handicrafts, ceramics, textiles, clothing, accessories, furniture, alcoholic beverages, among others much more.

It is worth mentioning that, without a doubt, the collective brand is a tool widely used by SMEs to boost their national and international growth, regardless of the commercial sector to which they belong, much less their origin.