Your trademark/design/name/product/logo/drawing is unique.
And you can protect it.

At the Bureau for Intellectual Property (BIP SXM)

 

BIP SXM is the official agency responsible for the registration of national and international trademarks for private persons, domestic and foreign companies. We provide an online registration system allowing the entire procedure to be considerably fast and transparent.

Our services are aimed at securing IP rights for individuals, entrepreneurs and companies doing business, or creating and selling artistic works in or from Sint Maarten. As a public service provider for Sint Maarten in the field of Intellectual Property rights, BIP SXM is neutral and objective in our service to all entrepreneurs.

Why Intellectual Property protection?

Countries generally have laws to protect IP for two main reasons:

  • to give statutory expression to the rights of creators and innovators in their creations and innovations, balanced against the public interest in accessing creations and innovations;
  • to promote creativity and innovation, so contributing to economic and social development


What is Intellectual Property?


Intellectual Property (IP) is a collective term for legal rights to ideas and creative concepts that have been expressed in tangible form. A tangible expression of an idea can be protected by various IP rights at the same time. IP is usually divided into two branches, namely industrial property and copyright. The best-known industrial IP rights are trademarks and patent rights.

Trademark protection in Sint Maarten

More about intellectual property

Trademark registration

Search the  SXM Trademark Register

List of Trademark Representatives

 

 

Why should I register?

  • Registration gives the holder Exclusive right.
    The exclusive right enables the holder recognition of their invention, products and/or services and various opportunities to monetize on them.
  • Goodwill (Asset on balance sheet)
    Intellectual capital is recognized as one of the most important intangible assets of many of the world’s largest and most powerful companies.  The value of a company’s brand name, solid customer base, good customer relations, good employee relations and good image represent goodwill.  Protection of goodwill is one of the main purposes of trademark law. 
  • Licensing
    An agreement by which a trademark owner permits another party to use a trademark. Licenses may include a variety of terms such as requiring periodic payments and limiting the ability of the licensor to grant licenses to other parties. A license is invalid in many countries unless the owner has the right to – and actually does – control the nature and quality of the goods or services of the licensee. Some countries require licenses to be recorded, or licensees to be officially entered as Registered Users, and many countries impose a withholding tax on trademark royalties paid to a foreign licensor.

How can we help?

The office has a professional team, who will be happy to provide you with the necessary information about intellectual property and how to protect it.
We value your time and privacy. Therefore, we advise you to make an appointment with us so we can schedule a (virtual) meeting with one of our team members.
Contact our office

Go directly to one of the following topics:

Selling your products online? Here is what you need to know about trademark registration. Read more
Need professional IP adviceRead more
How much does a Trademark and i-Envelope cost? View all fees