In Mexico, the trademark belongs to whoever files first.

No. Trademark rights are territorial: a registration in the United States, Canada or the European Union has effect only where it was granted. Mexico is a separate register, run by IMPI. Mexico is also part of the Madrid Protocol, so if you already hold an international registration it is sometimes possible to extend it here instead — whether that is cheaper depends on how many countries you are covering. We will tell you which route makes sense for your case before you commit to either.

No. A foreign company or an individual can hold a Mexican trademark. What IMPI does require is an address in Mexico for official notifications, which is part of what we provide as your representative. If your structure is unusual — a holding company abroad, a local distributor, a joint venture — tell us during the consultation, because who is named as the owner is a decision that is expensive to change later.

It happens, and it is exactly what the phonetic search is for: five business days and MX$690 to find out before you spend anything else — and that MX$690 comes back off the registration if you go ahead. If the name is taken there are usually routes — negotiating with the current holder, a cancellation action if they have not actually used the mark for three consecutive years, or filing a distinguishable version. Which of those is realistic depends on the case, and we say so plainly rather than selling you a filing that will be refused.

That is IMPI's examination time, not ours. The application is filed within days, and your filing date — the one that matters in a first-to-file country — is secured from that moment. What takes months is the formal and substantive examination, the publication period, and the resolution. Nobody can shorten it; anyone who says they can is describing the filing, not the grant.

The Nice Classification divides goods and services into 45 classes, and a trademark is protected only in the classes it is registered in. Most companies genuinely need one. Some need two or three because they both manufacture something and provide a service around it. The price above covers one class; each additional class carries its own IMPI fee. We work out how many you need from what you actually sell, not from how many we can bill.

INDAUTOR is Mexico's copyright office. IMPI protects your trademark — the name and how it identifies you commercially. INDAUTOR protects the logo as an artistic work. They cover different things and neither replaces the other. For a foreign brand entering Mexico with a distinctive logo, having both is meaningfully stronger than having one, and it is included in the registration plus brand identity package.

No. The whole process is digital. We work with companies across Mexico and from abroad, and nothing about the registration requires a meeting, a physical signature in person, or a trip. Our offices are in Colonia Del Valle Sur in Mexico City if you want to come, but it is never a requirement.

Yes, prices are in Mexican pesos and include IVA, because the IMPI fees inside them are set in pesos. Quoting in dollars would mean adding a margin to absorb the exchange rate, and you would pay for that margin. Your written quote includes the dollar equivalent at that day's rate, and we invoice with a Mexican CFDI that your accounting department can process.