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Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual)

Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual)

ACUERDO DE COTITULARIDAD DE PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL

Conforme al Artículo 69 de la Ley Federal de Protección a la Propiedad Industrial (LFPPI) y al Artículo 77 de la Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor (LFDA)

I. COTITULARES

COTITULAR 1:

Nombre / Razón Social: [Co-owner 1 Name]

RFC: [Co-owner 1 RFC]

Representante: [Co-owner 1 Representative]

Cuota de Participación: [Co-owner 1 Percentage]

COTITULAR 2:

Nombre / Razón Social: [Co-owner 2 Name]

RFC: [Co-owner 2 RFC]

Representante: [Co-owner 2 Representative]

Cuota de Participación: [Co-owner 2 Percentage]

II. DERECHOS DE PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL EN COTITULARIDAD

Tipo de PI: [IP Type]

Descripción y Registros: [IP Description]

Origen de la Cotitularidad: [Collaboration Origin]

III. DERECHOS DE EXPLOTACIÓN INDIVIDUAL Y COLECTIVA

Explotación Independiente (Artículo 69 LFPPI): [Individual Exploitation]

Reglas para Licenciamiento a Terceros: [Licensing Rules]

Cotitular Gestor (si aplica): [Managing Co-owner]

IV. DISTRIBUCIÓN DE INGRESOS Y CESIÓN DE CUOTAS

Distribución de Regalías e Ingresos de Licenciamiento: [Revenue Distribution]

Derecho de Tanteo en Cesión de Cuotas: [Right Of First Refusal]

Todo cambio en la titularidad de la PI cotitulada deberá inscribirse ante el Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) para patentes y marcas, y ante el Instituto Nacional del Derecho de Autor (INDAUTOR) para derechos de autor, a efecto de que los cambios produzcan efectos frente a terceros.

V. DEFENSA CONTRA INFRACTORES Y RESOLUCIÓN DE CONTROVERSIAS

Legitimación para Acciones contra Infractores: [Enforcement Authority]

Resolución de Controversias entre Cotitulares: [Dispute Resolution]

Los costos de defensa (honorarios de abogados, cuotas del IMPI o INDAUTOR, gastos periciales) serán cubiertos por los cotitulares en proporción a sus cuotas de participación, salvo acuerdo contrario adoptado en relación con una acción específica.

VI. LEY APLICABLE

El presente Acuerdo se rige por la Ley Federal de Protección a la Propiedad Industrial (LFPPI), la Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor (LFDA), el Código Civil Federal (CCF), y demás disposiciones aplicables de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos.

FIRMAS

En [Signing City], a [Signing Date].

COTITULAR 1:

[Co-owner 1 Name]

Representado por: [Co-owner 1 Representative]

Firma: _________________________ Fecha: _________________________

COTITULAR 2:

[Co-owner 2 Name]

Representado por: [Co-owner 2 Representative]

Firma: _________________________ Fecha: _________________________

Co-owner 1 (Cotitular 1)

________________

Signature

Co-owner 2 (Cotitular 2)

________________

Signature

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What Is a Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual)?

A Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual) is a written contract governed primarily by Article 69 of the Ley Federal de Protección a la Propiedad Industrial (LFPPI, published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 1 July 2020) for jointly owned patents and trademarks, and by Article 77 of the Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor (LFDA, DOF 24 December 1996) for jointly owned copyrighted works, by which two or more parties (cotitulares) who share ownership of intellectual property rights agree upon the rules governing exploitation, licensing, assignment, and decision-making with respect to their jointly held IP.

Joint IP ownership (cotitularidad de propiedad intelectual) arises in multiple scenarios in Mexican commercial practice. Patent co-ownership under LFPPI Article 69 arises when two or more inventors jointly create a patentable invention — the patent rights belong jointly to all inventors unless they have agreed otherwise, or the inventions were made by employees in the course of employment (governed by LFPPI Article 14 and LFT Article 163). Copyright co-ownership under LFDA Article 77 arises when two or more authors contribute to a single copyrighted work (obra en coautoría) — each co-author shares in the patrimonial and moral rights, subject to the agreement among authors and the provisions of LFDA Articles 77 through 82. Joint IP may also arise through contractual arrangements — two companies that collaborate on research and development may contractually agree to share ownership of resulting patents; a joint venture (empresa conjunta) may create co-owned trademarks used by both partners; or multiple parties may together commission a creative work resulting in shared copyright ownership.

The challenge of joint IP ownership without a formal Acuerdo de Cotitularidad is that Mexican law provides limited default rules. Article 69 LFPPI establishes that absent agreement among patent co-owners, each co-owner may exploit the patent independently (explotar independientemente la patente) without accounting to the other co-owners for profits — but no co-owner may license the patent to a third party or assign their interest without the consent of all co-owners. This asymmetric default rule — free individual exploitation but restricted licensing and assignment — creates significant practical problems for joint ventures and collaborative R&D projects where both parties need to license the jointly created IP to third parties or wish to independently manage their respective commercial exploitation rights.

For copyrighted works under LFDA Article 77, the co-authors (coautores) form a collective (copropiedad sobre la obra) — modifications to the jointly authored work, licensing to third parties, and transfers of the joint work require the consent of all co-authors under the rules of comunidad de bienes in the Código Civil Federal, unless the co-authors' agreement establishes otherwise. The moral rights of each individual author (derecho de paternidad, derecho de integridad) remain individual and cannot be overridden by the joint ownership agreement.

The Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual Mexico fills the gap left by these limited statutory default rules by establishing a comprehensive contractual governance framework for the jointly owned IP — covering ownership percentages, exploitation rights, licensing authority, revenue sharing, management decisions, and exit mechanisms — tailored to the specific commercial relationship between the co-owners.

When Do You Need a Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual)?

An Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual Mexico is required in any situation where two or more parties will share ownership of one or more IP rights — whether patents, trademarks, or copyrights — and need a governance framework to manage that shared ownership commercially and legally.

Research and development collaborations between Mexican companies and research institutions — including CONACYT-funded centers (CINVESTAV, CIATEC, CIMAT), universities (UNAM, IPN, Tec de Monterrey), and private sector partners — routinely generate jointly owned patents when researchers from both institutions contribute to a patentable invention. Without a pre-negotiated Acuerdo de Cotitularidad, the default LFPPI Article 69 rules apply, which may prevent either party from licensing the technology to commercial partners without unanimous consent — creating deadlock. CONACYT's technology transfer policies encourage formalization of co-ownership arrangements through written agreements.

Joint ventures (empresas conjuntas) and strategic alliances under the Código de Comercio where both partners contribute IP or jointly develop technology require an Acuerdo de Cotitularidad to govern: which party can exploit the joint technology; whether the technology can be licensed to third parties; how royalty revenues are shared; and what happens to the jointly owned IP if the joint venture dissolves.

Co-development agreements in Mexico's automotive sector (Guanajuato, Nuevo León, Puebla) between Tier 1 suppliers and component manufacturers frequently result in jointly invented improvements to manufacturing processes or vehicle components — the Acuerdo de Cotitularidad governs the resulting patent rights and ensures both parties can use the technology in their respective operations without creating licensing deadlocks.

Creative collaborations between two or more Mexican authors — musicians, screenwriters, game developers, graphic artists — who jointly create a copyrighted work require an agreement on copyright ownership percentages, decision-making authority for licensing to film studios, streaming platforms, or publishers, and how to handle one co-author's wish to transfer their share to a third party.

Franchise system development where a franchisor and master franchisee jointly develop Mexico-specific adaptations to the franchise system — local marketing materials, training content, adapted business processes — may generate jointly owned copyrights and trademarks. The Acuerdo de Cotitularidad clarifies ownership and ensures the franchisor can continue using the developments if the master franchise relationship ends.

What to Include in Your Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual)

An Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual Mexico compliant with LFPPI Article 69 and LFDA Article 77 must contain the following essential elements to provide effective governance of the jointly owned IP:

Identification of Parties and IP Rights: Full legal name, RFC, and domicilio of each co-owner (cotitular); a precise description of the jointly owned IP rights — for patents: IMPI registration number, invention title, grant date, and remaining term; for trademarks: IMPI registration number, mark name and class; for copyrights: INDAUTOR registration number (if registered), work title, authors, and creation date. The agreement should also cover any related IP rights arising from the same creative or inventive activity — including divisional patents, continuations, and derivative works.

Ownership Percentages (Cuotas de Participación): The percentage interest (cuota) of each co-owner in the jointly owned IP — which need not be equal but must total 100%. Ownership percentages determine: the share of royalty revenues from joint licensing; the relative weight of each co-owner's vote in shared decisions; and the value of each co-owner's transferable interest. For jointly invented patents, ownership percentages may reflect relative inventive contribution; for jointly created copyrighted works, they may reflect relative creative contribution or negotiated commercial arrangement.

Individual Exploitation Rights: Whether each co-owner may independently exploit (explotar de forma independiente) the jointly owned IP without accounting to the other co-owners — the LFPPI Article 69 default rule for patents. The agreement may modify this default to: require accounting and profit-sharing from individual exploitation; restrict individual exploitation to defined fields of use or territories; or require consent of all co-owners before any commercial exploitation. For trademark co-ownership, individual exploitation is more complex because uncoordinated trademark use by multiple co-owners can undermine the mark's distinctiveness — the agreement should specify coordinated quality control obligations.

Joint Licensing Authority: The rules for licensing the jointly owned IP to third parties — which co-owners must consent to a license; the required voting threshold (unanimity or qualified majority); how licensing proceeds are divided among co-owners; and which co-owner manages the licensing relationship with third party licensees. LFPPI Article 69 requires all co-owners' consent for patent licenses absent agreement — the Acuerdo de Cotitularidad may relax this to a majority vote or designate one co-owner as managing licensor.

Assignment of Individual Interests: The rules governing each co-owner's right to transfer (ceder) their interest in the jointly owned IP to a third party — whether subject to a right of first refusal (derecho de tanteo) in favor of the other co-owners; whether consent of all co-owners is required; and whether certain transferees (such as competitors of the non-transferring co-owners) are prohibited.

Enforcement Against Infringers: Which co-owner has authority and obligation to take action against third-party infringers of the jointly owned IP — whether each co-owner may sue independently or enforcement requires joint action; how enforcement costs are shared; how damages recovered from infringers are allocated among co-owners.

Revenue Sharing: The formula for distributing royalties, licensing fees, settlement proceeds, and other income derived from the jointly owned IP among the co-owners — typically in proportion to ownership percentages but subject to deduction of enforcement costs, IMPI fees, INDAUTOR fees, and management expenses.

Decision-Making and Deadlock Resolution: Voting procedures for decisions beyond individual exploitation — required majorities for licensing, enforcement, registration renewals, and amendments to the agreement; deadlock resolution mechanisms (mediación, arbitraje, buy-sell provisions) for situations where the co-owners cannot reach agreement. Designation of a managing co-owner (cotitular gestor) to handle day-to-day IP management with defined authority limits.

Termination and Exit: The consequences of dissolution of the joint ownership arrangement — buyout rights at agreed valuation methodology; division of the IP (if divisible by territory or class); assignment to a jointly owned entity (sociedad conjunta); and IMPI/INDAUTOR recordal of changes in ownership upon any transfer. Forms-legal.com provides this Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico template as a starting point. Complex joint ownership arrangements involving valuable patent portfolios, international co-owners, or CONACYT-funded research institutions should be structured with a Licenciado en Derecho specialised in propiedad industrial and corporate law.

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@misc{formslegal-joint-ip-ownership-agreement-mexico,
  author       = {{Forms Legal}},
  title        = {Joint IP Ownership Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Cotitularidad de Propiedad Intelectual) (Mexico)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://forms-legal.com/mexico/business/intellectual-property/joint-ip-ownership-agreement-mexico}},
  note         = {Free legal document template}
}

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