Guatemala was included in the Priority Watch List for compliance with intellectual property rights following the publication made by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) this Thursday, April 30.
In the analysis relevant sectors in intellectual property matters stand outsuch as clothing, sports shoes, accessories, pharmaceuticals and piracy.
Besides, Guatemala is the only country in the Central American region that appears on the list.
Experts consulted indicate that Guatemala has taken actions, especially regarding its intellectual property (IP) laws, but that it is necessary to apply them and promote some additional measures.
Intellectual property failures persist in Guatemala
According to the report published this Thursday afternoon, it is indicated that Guatemala, despite having a generally solid legal framework, faces resource restrictions; Furthermore, inconsistent enforcement actions against counterfeit clothing and other products, as well as a lack of coordination among law enforcement agencies, continue to result in insufficient intellectual property (IP) enforcement.
He adds that “the United States continues to urge Guatemala to strengthen law enforcement, including criminal prosecution, administrative and border measures, and intergovernmental coordination to address widespread copyright piracy and commercial-scale sales of counterfeit goods.”
The report for Guatemala highlights that “the sale of counterfeit products such as clothing, sports shoes and accessories continued to occur openly, extensively and with little interference by Guatemalan law enforcement throughout 2025.”
“The production and sale of counterfeit pharmaceutical products in Guatemala also remains a concern. Signal piracy also remains a concern, especially through illicit Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services,” the document mentions.
USTR points out judicial weakness in intellectual property
The USTR report notes that “Guatemala signed an Expedited Patent Grant Agreement with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2025, but they reportedly continue to experience significant delays in the patent registration process.”
The sale of counterfeit products such as clothing, sports shoes, and accessories continued to occur openly, extensively, and with little interference from Guatemalan law enforcement throughout 2025.
“Although previous delays in notifications of alleged cases of counterfeiting continued to improve in 2025, the judiciary continues to lack specialization and knowledge to hear and adjudicate intellectual property issues,” he emphasizes.
Under the US-Guatemala ART, Guatemala has made commitments that will benefit American innovators and creators by improving intellectual property protection and prioritizing enforcement against intellectual property theft, the official report notes.
This includes the accession and full implementation of the main international intellectual property treaties and addressing issues identified in Special Report 301 of 2025, including improving cooperation between law enforcement agencies, increasing criminal prosecutions of intellectual property cases, increasing enforcement actions against intellectual property infringement or misappropriation, and allocating sufficient resources to ensure effective intellectual property enforcement, the official report adds.
Additionally, Guatemala has also committed to strong standards of transparency and fairness regarding the protection of geographical indications (GIs) and ensuring that U.S. products can continue to use terms that have been unfairly protected as GIs.
“The United States continues to urge Guatemala to take effective measures in 2026 to improve intellectual property protection and compliance in Guatemala,” he says.