Castro & Pal

The Executive Branch has recently prommulgated a new set of regulations that will have jurisdiction over the Administrative Court (Tribunal Registral Administrativo) that oversees all matters regarding the Costa Rican National Registry.

This particular Court is in charge of handling any kind of appeal to final resolutions and Office Actions issued by the National Registry (and any of its dependencies; including the Patent and Trademark Office), and thus, has national jurisdiction.

Arguably, the most notable changes involve the Court´s possibility to seek third-party technical assesment, when considered necessary, and the option for all conflicting parties to an oral hearing, subject to Administrative Court´s approval.

Other changes brought upon by these new rules include the flexibilization of technological resources made available to the Administrative Courts, as well as a broadening of the allowed forms for notification; including faxsimile, e-mail, certified mail, and any other future forms of communication that the Court considers appropiate.

The implementation of these changes respond to the necessity of expedite resolution of complex matters, such as those regarding patent applicants, as well as a necessary, and much sought-after improvement in the services provided by the TRA.