In Ecuador the rules applicable to industrial property rights are mainly contained in (i) Decision 486 of the Andean Community are in force in Ecuador since December 1, 2000, (ii) the Ecuadorian Intellectual Property Law are in force since May 19, 1998, and (iii) the Regulations to the Intellectual Property Law are in force since February 1, 1999. Decision 486 supersedes the Intellectual Property Law in case of conflicting rules.Ecuador is signatory to the Cartagena Agreement rules related to plant varieties, copyrights regulatory matters, etc, Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).