Judicial Administration Structure for IP Disputes: Belize

 

Caribbean Court of Justice
                      *National court and tribunal may refer a query to the CCJ
The Court of Appeal          
         
                             
The High Court of Belize          
         
                           
Registrar, Belize Intellectual Property Office
(administrative instance)		           Magistrate Court          
                   
                           
       
Administrative Jurisdiction
Grant or refuse industrial design;
Grant or refuse layout-design;
Grant or refuse patents and utility model certificates;
Grant, refuse, invalidate, declare forfeited, or cancel breeder's rights;
Grant, refuse, cancel variety denomination;
Grant, refuse, revoke trademark;
Grant or refuse collective mark or certification mark.		   Civil Jurisdiction
First instance jurisdiction in civil industrial design, layout-designs, patents, protection of plant variety, copyright, trademark disputes.

Invalidation of industrial designs, layout-designs, patents, utility models, or trademarks.		   Criminal Jurisdiction
First instance jurisdiction in criminal matters involving indictable intellectual property offences.		   Criminal Jurisdiction
Summary criminal intellectual property offences.		   Original Jurisdiction
Compulsory and exclusive jurisdiction to hear disputes including IP disputes arising from the interpretation or application of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), including:
a) disputes between Belize and other member states of the RTC,
b) disputes between Belize and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
c) referrals from national courts or tribunals of Belize;
d) applications by persons in Belize with special leave from the CCJ.
                           

The Registrar of the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO) has the power to grant or refuse the registration of an industrial design[1], layout-design[2], patent[3], utility model certificates[4], variety denomination or plant breeder's right[5] or, trademark, collective mark or certification mark[6] applications.

The Registrar may invalidate a breeder's right[7], declare breeder's right to be forfeited[8], cancel any registered variety denomination[9] under Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

The Registrar may revoke a registered trademark, where the trademark is not the subject of a pending, court matter[10].

[1] s. 9, Industrial Designs Act.

[2] s. 13 Protection of Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits Act.

[3] s. 27 Patents Act.

[4] s. 49 Patents Act.

[5] s. 32 and s. 39, Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[6] s. 18 (1), s. 57, s. 58, Trade Marks Act.

[7] s. 24 Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[8] s. 25 Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[9] s. 35 Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[10] s. 46 (4)(a) Trade Marks Act.

Magistrate Court

The Magistrate Court is empowered to hear summary intellectual property offences, including trade mark offences[11], copyright criminal offences[12] and copyright infringement claims[13].

High Court of Belize

The High Court of Belize is the highest court of first instance. It has civil jurisdiction to hear and determine issues on industrial design[14], layout-design[15], patents[16], protection of plant variety, including infringement claims[17], copyright civil infringement claims, and criminal offences for making, dealing with or using illicit recordings[18], and trademark claims.

The High Court of Belize is the court of first instance for all criminal IP offences to be tried on indictment.

The High Court of Belize has jurisdiction to invalidate a registered industrial design[19], a registered layout-design[20], a patent[21], utility models[22], or trademarks.

The High Court hears appeals on decisions of the Magistrate Court and on decisions of the Registrar on trademarks[23], plant varieties[24], layout-designs[25], patents[26], and industrial designs[27].

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal adjudicates on appeals originating from the High Court. The court may vary, overturn or affirm the decision of the High Court.

Caribbean Court of Justice: Appellate Jurisdiction

The Caribbean Court of Justice serves as the final court of appeal for Belize, hearing appeals on rulings from the Court of Appeal.

Caribbean Court of Justice: Original Jurisdiction

The Caribbean Court of Justice has compulsory and exclusive jurisdiction to hear disputes, including intellectual property disputes, arising from the interpretation or application of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), including:

a) disputes between Belize and other member states of the RTC[28],
b) disputes between Belize and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)[29];
c) referrals from national courts and tribunals of Belize[30];
d) applications by persons in Belize with special leave from the CCJ[31].

In particular, the CCJ has exclusive and original jurisdiction to hear and determine questions on the interpretation and application of the RTC that would enable a court or tribunal in Belize to form a ruling in an intellectual property dispute. As such, Belize's national courts and tribunals must refer all questions (a "referral") on the interpretation and application of the RTC to the CCJ, that is in their view, necessary to determine an intellectual property dispute.

The CCJ's decision on the referral must be applied in the adjudication of the intellectual property dispute by the court or tribunals in Belize.

[11] Part VII, Trade Marks Act.

[12] s. 52, s. 123(2) Copyright Act.

[13] s. 121(6)(a) Copyright Act.

[14] s. 23, Industrial Designs Act.

[15] s. 23, Protection of Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits Act.

[16] s. 62, Patents Act.

[17] s. 44 Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[18] s. 121 (6)(b), Copyright Act.

[19] s. 15 Industrial Designs Act.

[20] s. 18, Protection of Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits Act.

[21] s. 47 Patents Act.

[22] s. 52 Patents Act.

[23] s. 70 Trade Marks Act.

[24] s. 43 Protection of New Plant Varieties Act.

[25] s. 23(2) Protection of Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits Act.

[26] s. 62(2) Patents Act.

[27] s. 23(2) Industrial Designs Act.

[28] Article 211 (1)(a) Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the Single Market and Economy.

[29] Article 211 (1)(b) Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the Single Market and Economy.

[30] Article 211 (1)(c) Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the Single Market and Economy.

[31] Article 211 (1)(d) and Article 222 Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the Single Market and Economy.

Supreme Court judgments database (High Court and Court of Appeal): https://www.belizejudiciary.org/judgements2/

The Caribbean Court of Justice: Judgments (Original Jurisdiction): https://ccj.org/original-jurisdiction-judgments/

The Caribbean Court of Justice: Judgments (Appellate Jurisdiction): https://ccj.org/judges-main/

WIPO Lex – Belize