JuriSTEP SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE not lead the consumer's into confusion or mistake; Considering that the National Service of Intellectual Property is not only incumbent to process the applications for protection of inventions, but also to supply information of existent techniques based upon the documents of patents published; CHAPTER I G ENERAL P ROVISIONS Article 1 Concept and Scope 1. Intellectual Property has a social function of guaranteeing the fair competition trough the attribution of rights under the scope of this Law, and trough the repression of unfair competition. 2. Intellectual Property encompasses industry and commerce, fishing, agricultural, forestry, livestock farming, and extractive industries, as well as all the natural or manufactured products and services. 3. This Law applies to individual and legal persons, Santomeneans or nationals of the countries member of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property, hereinafter Union, under the Convention of Paris, of 20 March 1883 and its amendments, regardless of domicile or establishment, without prejudice of special provisions regarding competence and procedure. 4. Nationals of countries outside the Union who are domiciled or who have real and effective industrial or commercial establishments in the territory of one of the countries of the Union shall be treated in the same manner as nationals of the countries of the Union. 5. To any others foreigners it shall be applicable the conventions between Sao Tome and Principe and the respective countries and, in the absence of those, the regimen of reciprocity. CHAPTER II P ATENTS Article 2 Definitions 1. For the purposes of this Law ‘Patent’ shall mean a title granted for protect an invention. 3