Legal Environment
In Venezuela computer programs are explicitly protected as literary works. The enforcement is not very affective as seen by the fact that piracy is very high in Venezuela. Although the piracy rates in Venezuela have been lower prior to 1996 than the rest of Latin America, they are still significantly higher than the total world rates.
| YEAR | PIRACY- VENEZUELA | PIRACY- LATIN AMERICA | PIRACY - WORLD |
| 1994 | 72% | 78% | 49% |
| 1995 | 72% | 76% | 46% |
| 1996 | 70% | 68% | 43% |
Source: (http://www.bsa.org)
Venezuela is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and a signatory to the Bern Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, They are also a signatory to the Uruguay Round Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) (www.flatrade.org/ccg/venezuel.htm).
In 1995 a National Office for the Registration and Protection of Copyrights was established in Venezuela in order to help with the problems of piracy and intellectual property rights. In June of 1996 a special anti-piracy unit was created by the Minister of Justice. This unit was charged with the deed of investigating and apprehending intellectual property pirates.
Even with the above affiliations with intellectual property rights organizations, Venezuela is still experiencing trouble with enforcement. Venezuela is having trouble with patents, trademarks and copyright protection, in spring of 1996 they were on a "Watch List" from the USTR.
Trademarks need to be registered directly in Venezuela. They do not recognize foreign patents, trademarks or logos. Therefore all foreign direct investors need to be sure to register in Venezuela.
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