The Cayman Islands Government has in recent years modernised the country’s intellectual property laws in order to provide better protection of the rights of persons involved in creative and business endeavours. By improving copyright, trade mark, patent and design rights legislation, Government also has improved the local commerce framework.
Intellectual property protection has been significantly updated with the commencement of, amongst other things, the Design Rights Registration Act, 2016 the Trade Marks Act 2016 and the Copyright (Cayman Islands) Order (2015).
The categories of original creations that are protected in the Cayman Islands have been expanded to cover music, film, art and other creative fields in every format, including digital, under copyright legislation. The Trade Marks Act (2016) allows individuals and companies to register their brands and company logos locally. It also gives legal protection against counterfeiting and infringement, allowing local and international companies to be confident in what they create in the Cayman Islands, while providing an incentive for local and international investors.
The Patents Act (2018 Revision) continues to allow patent holders the ability to register their rights in the UK and extend those rights to the Cayman Islands. The Design Rights Registration Act, 2016 also allows design rights – the physical appearance of an industrial or handicraft item or a part of it – to be registered in the UK to be extended to the Cayman Islands.
