Reforms on substantive equality between women and men and Intellectual Property in Mexico 

January 23, 2026

On January 15, 2026, a decree amending several federal laws aimed at incorporating a gender perspective and guaranteeing substantive equality between women and men in the creation, registration, and exercise of rights in the field of copyright and industrial property was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. These amendments are binding on the authorities and, in practice, affect how owners and users of the Mexican Intellectual Property System interact with the relevant authorities. It should be noted that the Decree included reforms to the Federal Copyright Law and the Federal Industrial Property Protection Law.

The following amendments were made to the Federal Copyright Law:

• Promote substantive equality and eliminate administrative barriers to women’s participation in the creation and registration of works.
• Promote affirmative action to encourage the participation of women creators in all areas of authorship.
• Offer enhanced protection for women whose works are under a pseudonym or undisclosed, with a focus on removing administrative obstacles.
• Implement affirmative actions that encourage more women to register their works.
• Maintain an up-to-date historical archive with information disaggregated by gender to identify female participation.
• Conduct procedures with equitable conditions, a gender perspective, and an intersectional approach.

On the other hand, the Federal  Industrial Property Protection Law underwent the following changes:

• Guarantee substantive equality and promote the effective participation of women in the creation, registration, and exercise of industrial property rights.
• Disseminate information on patents and registrations, ensuring accessibility and participation of women and vulnerable groups.
• Establish strategies to promote women’s participation in technology transfer and industrial development programs.
• Create incentive and support programs that incorporate a gender perspective and promote the participation of women.
• Train human resources specialized in industrial property with a gender focus for equal participation.

In general terms, these reforms seek to remove administrative barriers, generate the production and use of gender-disaggregated data, and implement affirmative action throughout the life cycle of intellectual property rights.