Caribbean residents filed thousands of trademark applications in 2024, far outpacing patent activity across the region.
Among reporting CARICOM states, Jamaica recorded the highest resident trademark filings at 1,864, according to WIPO’s Statistical Country Profiles. Trinidad and Tobago recorded 541 and Suriname registered 546, up from 294 the previous year. Guyana’s filings nearly doubled from the previous year, reaching 141.
Trademarks protect brands, logos, and business identities. The volume of filings points to active commercial enterprise across the region, with trademark categories spanning services, food and beverage, and consumer-facing industries.
Patent filings, which protect new inventions, tell a different story. Among reporting CARICOM states, no country recorded more than three resident patent applications. This is not unusual for small, service-oriented economies without large-scale R&D infrastructure, but it underscores where Caribbean innovation is concentrated.
The data suggests the region’s entrepreneurial energy is flowing into brand-building rather than technology development.
Source : WIPO IP Statistical Country Profiles, 2024. Data availability varies by member state.