INPI Restructures Trademark Examination: Key Implications of Resolution 583/2025

The Argentine Trademark Office (INPI) has issued Resolution No. 583/2025, introducing significant changes to streamline trademark registration procedures and shifting to rights holders the exclusive responsibility to monitor and take action in defense of their marks.

What has changed?

INPI will no longer cite prior similar trademarks ex officio. The examination will now be limited exclusively to absolute grounds (lack of distinctiveness, public order, morality).
This means that examiners will no longer object to a new application for being confusingly similar to a registered mark, nor for potentially misleading consumers about product qualities or personal names—except in clear, obvious cases.

Impact on the procedure

The immediate consequence is increased speed: if an application receives no third-party oppositions and no formal objections, the mark will be granted in shorter timeframes.

The new role of trademark owners

This new scenario requires rights holders to exercise active defense of their trademarks.
With the elimination of the State’s “filter,” a new application that is similar or likely to cause confusion may be granted unless a formal opposition is timely filed.

Likewise, obtaining a registration certificate may not necessarily guarantee the right to use the mark with a high degree of certainty: since INPI will no longer conduct a thorough examination on relative grounds, registrations granted under this regime may be more vulnerable to future nullity actions from third parties with superior rights.

What practical implications can this create?

In a market where many applications are filed without professional guidance, two tools become particularly important:

a) A thorough clearance search, to assess the real viability of use and registration before adopting a sign in commerce.
b) Active trademark watching, to detect conflicting applications early and oppose them before they are granted.