The Legal Context: Law 22.362 Because Argentina is a "first-to-file" jurisdiction, squatters proactively register the names of growing foreign startups, anticipating a lucrative buyout when the company expands. However, Argentine Trademark Law (Law 22.362) and local jurisprudence provide robust mechanisms to fight bad-faith registrations, protecting the legitimate foreign owners.

Your Action Plan and Legal Remedies: Do not negotiate or pay a ransom to a squatter. Depending on the status of the local filing, we deploy different strategic actions:

• Administrative Oppositions (Pending Applications): If the squatter’s application is published in the Trademark Bulletin, there is a strict 30-day window to file a formal opposition. This triggers an administrative process where we can argue the applicant's bad faith and lack of legitimate interest.

• Nullity Actions (Granted Trademarks): If the trademark has already been granted, the battle moves to the Federal Courts. We can file a nullity action based on Article 24 of the Trademark Law (which voids registrations made in bad faith or by those who knew the mark belonged to a third party). We also leverage Article 6bis of the Paris Convention, which protects "well-known" trademarks even if unregistered locally.

• Cease and Desist (C&D): Often, an aggressive and well-substantiated C&D letter from a local IP attorney, outlining the impending legal costs and likelihood of nullification, is enough to force the squatter to assign the rights back to you voluntarily.