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I arrived in Santa Clara last November with two suitcases, a used asphalt paver, and a notebook full of questions.

I didn’t come for tourism. I didn’t come for politics. I came because someone in a WeChat group said, “If you want to test how weak IP protection is in Latin America, go to Cuba. No one’s watching.”

I thought it was a joke.

Now, six months later, I’m not sure if I’m the fool—or if the system is just too quiet to be dangerous.

It started with a local mechanic. His name was Carlos. He fixed my paver after the hydraulic line burst in the rain. No invoice. No receipt. Just a nod and a “gracias.”

Then, two weeks later, he showed up at the market with a machine that looked exactly like mine—same paint, same serial number, same custom pressure valve I’d designed in Anhui.

I didn’t say anything. I just watched.

I asked him later, over coffee, if he’d ever seen the original machine.

He smiled. “You mean the one you brought? Or the one I built from the parts you left behind?”

I didn’t sleep that night.

I didn’t go to the police. I didn’t call the embassy. I didn’t even tell my wife.

Because I knew: in Cuba, intellectual property isn’t a legal concept—it’s a social one. And social rules here are written in silence.

The U.S. military talks with Cuba in Guantánamo. China sends rice ships to Havana. Trump’s name keeps appearing in headlines like a bad omen. But in Santa Clara? No one talks about patents. No one mentions trademarks. Even the university professors I met at the Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría—when I asked about licensing agreements—just shrugged.

“Here,” one said, “we learn how to make do. Not how to own.”

I started asking around: Is there any registry for IP here? Any office? Any form?

No one could point me to a “Oficina de Derechos de Autor” or a “Registro de Marcas.” I found a government portal—Sistema Nacional de Propiedad Intelectual—but it’s down 90% of the time. No English. No contact. No updates since 2022.

I checked the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment’s website. It lists “policy frameworks” for innovation. But the links are broken. The PDFs are empty.

I asked a lawyer in Havana—via a mutual contact—what’s required to file a patent in Santa Clara.

He said: “Technically, you can. But you’ll need a Cuban co-inventor. And a notary. And a translator. And a favor from someone who knows someone in the Ministry.”

Then he added: “And even then, if your technology is useful to the state? It becomes theirs.”

I didn’t ask what “useful” meant.

I thought about giving up. I thought about packing up the paver and going to Vietnam, where at least the IP office has a website and a phone number.

But then I remembered something JingJing once told me in a message:

“In places where the system is broken, the quietest people are often the most resilient.”

I started keeping logs. Every machine part I modified. Every design tweak. Every conversation with Carlos. I photographed everything. I dated the photos. I saved them in three places: cloud, USB, and printed copies tucked in my passport.

I didn’t do it to sue anyone.

I did it to prove to myself that I didn’t just sit there and let it happen.

I’m still not sure if I can protect my IP here.

But I’m sure I can protect my dignity.

📌 FAQ

Steps:

  1. Contact the Oficina Nacional de Derechos de Autor (ONDA) via email: onda@mincyt.cu (if responsive).
  2. Prepare a detailed technical description in Spanish, signed by a Cuban witness.
  3. Submit via registered mail to: Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, Calle 118 No. 10101, e/ 101 y 103, Playa, La Habana.
  4. Wait 6–18 months for a response—no tracking, no confirmation.

Key points:

  • No online filing system exists.
  • Foreign applicants must partner with a Cuban resident.
  • No enforcement mechanism exists for infringement.
  • Always keep dated, notarized documentation of your original design.

Q2: Can I license my technology to a Cuban entity?

Steps:

  1. Draft a contract in Spanish and English, clearly defining ownership and usage rights.
  2. Have both parties sign before a Cuban notary public (notario público).
  3. File a copy with the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation (MINCEX)—though they may not acknowledge receipt.
  4. Retain proof of delivery (e.g., registered mail receipt).

Key points:

  • Verbal agreements are common but unenforceable.
  • Cuban entities may re-engineer your design under “adaptation for local needs.”
  • No international arbitration clause will be honored locally.

Steps:

  1. Contact the Colegio Nacional de Abogados de Cuba (National Bar Association) for referrals: cna@nacionaldeabogados.cu.
  2. Ask if they have lawyers experienced in “propiedad intelectual en contextos de restricciones económicas.”
  3. Avoid firms that promise “fast registration” or “guaranteed protection.”
  4. If you’re part of a Chinese business delegation, ask your embassy for a list of vetted local legal contacts.

Key points:

  • Most lawyers avoid IP cases—they’re too risky.
  • Foreigners rarely win disputes.
  • The best “protection” is discretion, documentation, and distance.

I used to think entrepreneurship was about scaling. Now I know it’s about surviving the gaps.

In Santa Clara, you don’t build a business—you build a shadow of one. You work around the silence. You protect your ideas not with lawyers, but with paper, dates, and a quiet refusal to be erased.

I still don’t know if IP transfer is possible here.

But I do know this: the people who survive here aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones who write everything down—and never expect it to be enough.

Maybe different people will have different answers.

If you’ve tried to protect your tech in a place where the system doesn’t recognize ownership—please share how you kept going.
We’re all just trying to make something that lasts.

You can find me on the Lvga.com community forum, or reach out to JingJing via WeChat: lvga2015. No promises. Just a quiet place to talk.

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