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commerce. Mexico is working closely with the U.S. government and other partners toaddress these and other areas of mutual concern.Two different laws provide the core legal basis for protection of intellectual propertyrights (IPR) in Mexico -- the Industrial Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Industrial) andthe Federal Copyright Law (Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor). Multiple federalagencies are responsible for various aspects of IPR protection in Mexico. The Office ofthe Attorney General (Procuraduría General de la Republica, or PGR) has a specializedunit that pursues criminal IPR investigations. The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property(Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial, or IMPI) administers Mexico’s trademarkand patent registries and is responsible for handling administrative cases of IPRinfringement. The National Institute of Author Rights (Instituto Nacional del Derecho deAutor) administers Mexico’s copyright register and also provides legal advice andmediation services to copyright owners who believe their rights have been infringed.Mexico Customs Service (Aduana México) plays a key role in ensuring that illegal goodsdo not cross Mexico’s borders.Mexico is a signatory of at least fifteen international treaties, including the ParisConvention for the Protection of Industrial Property, NAFTA, and the WTO Agreementon Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Although Mexico signed thePatent Cooperation Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland in 1994, which allows for simplifiedpatent registration procedure when applying for patents in more than one country at thesame time, it is necessary to register any patent or trademark in Mexico in order to claiman exclusive right to any given product. A prior registration in the United States does notguarantee its exclusivity and proper use in Mexico, but serves merely as support for theauthenticity of any claim you might make, should you take legal action in Mexico.An English-language overview of Mexico's IPR regime can be found on the WIPOwebsite at: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/ipworldwide/pdf/mx.pdf.Although a firm or individual may apply directly, most foreign firms hire local law firmsspecializing in intellectual property. The U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section maintainsa list of such law firms in Mexico at:http://mexico.usembassy.gov/sacs_legal_info.htmlhttp://www.buyusa.gov/mexico/en/business_service_providers.htmlDue DiligenceReturn to topU.S. firms are strongly advised to conduct due diligence on a Mexican firm or individualbefore entering in any type of agreement. In Mexico’s larger cities, it is possible to find alocal consulting or law firm that can find information on a firm or individual. Also, localchambers and associations can assist U.S. firms in locating economic reports on aparticular firm.There are only a few private firms that conduct due diligence countrywide. U.S. firmsshould know that the U.S. Commercial Service has a service called InternationalCompany Profile (ICP) that can be ordered from our domestic U.S. Export AssistanceCenters or our offices in Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. The ICP is areport in English that includes financial and commercial information on a Mexican firm.