The initiative driven by Claudia Sheinbaum generated criticism from the opposition and cartoonists, who warned about its possible effects on memes and political parodies. The ruling party backed down and modified the project
After the criticism, Senate committees modified the project. Among the announced changes was the removal of the specific reference to electronic and digital media and the reduction of the maximum penalty from seven to five years.
A reform driven by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sparked strong controversy in Congress after its original wording included penalties of three to seven years in prison for certain unauthorized uses of the official graphic identity of the State. The discussion raised warnings about a possible impact on memes, cartoons, and political parodies shared on the internet.
The project is part of a package of reforms on industrial property and copyright presented by Sheinbaum in May 2026. The proposed Article 403 Bis established sanctions for anyone who used, reproduced, imitated, or incorporated, on a commercial scale, logos, domain names, or other official signs of public powers and government agencies.
The wording drew criticism because it did not initially establish an explicit exception for satirical content. The PAN coordinator in the Senate, Ricardo Anaya, argued that a person could face a penalty of up to seven years if they used the government graphic identity in a parody.
The controversy reached cartoonists and content creators. Some expressed concern that legislation originally intended to combat counterfeiting and the improper commercial use of official symbols could end up affecting expressions of political satire.
It was also clarified that the sanctioned conduct must be linked to the reproduction of institutional identity for commercial purposes and with the intent to deceive about the official origin of a communication, document, or platform.
The Senate approved the report in committees and sent it to the Board of Directors to continue the legislative process. The controversy, however, left the debate open on how far the protection of the institutional identity of the State can go without affecting freedom of expression, especially in satirical and political content shared on social media.
For now, therefore, there is no law establishing seven years in prison for making any meme or political parody against the Mexican Government. The original proposal contemplated that maximum penalty for a much more specific conduct, while the text was subsequently modified during its discussion in the Senate.
