• Licenses and technology agreements, copyright and entertainment law
• Prosecution before the Patent and Trademark Office (INPI), and food and drug regulatory agencies
• Legal opinions, studies and legislative drafting
• Internet and computer law

Patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, plant variety protection, semiconductor chip registration, domain name issues: those are some of the most current legal problems in our daily practice. The firm has Intellectual Property as a particular area of activity, either in litigation, advising clients for the best way of protecting their creations, helping the negotiation on licenses and development contracts, or just doing what the usual IP firm does: representing the clients interests before the Patent Office or other registrar agencies.

Our firm is not, however, the usual IP firm. We know that a trademark is not an end in itself, but a means to implement a business solution.

There are times when the matter is to create case law to the sense that insurance formulas are not copyrightable; in other cases, public contract law, patent law and litigation are weaved together to ensure a client the best possible opportunity to develop its chemical product basis. Sometimes the IP expertise is brought in to help the evaluation of a company, to support due diligence, or to propose strategic market approaches.

This combination of Business Law, Public Contract Law, expert litigation, Corporation Finance structuring and long range competition goals is probably a valuable professional asset that gives our firm its particular character.

• Mergers and acquisitions, privatization
• Foreign investment registration
• Security and market regulation matters
• Investment funds and banking
• Insurance and related issues
• Corporate law
• Consumer law
• Labor law

The financial sector in Brazil has been very much impacted by the expansion of the foreign investment subsequent to the opening of local markets. Our firm has a very active practice before the Central Bank not only regarding investment registration but also on support of outbound remittances, as, for instance, royalties, interest, repatriation and payment of services.

We have provided legal support to clients engaged in the activity of asset management and related areas, especially by drafting the documents required by the Brazilian Securities Commission and obtaining therefrom the pertaining registrations. We have also drafted and reviewed the contracts, notifications and other legal requirements for local and international IPOs, financial and banking contracts and other similar documents.

• Tax advising
• Tax administrative and court litigation
• Public contracts, biddings, public utility law
• Administrative law

Administrative law is an important item in Brazil today. Notwithstanding the large privatization program in course, Government purchasing is even now a major demand for most industrial and service providers – and Public Contract Law is the body of applicable rules to every bidding in the country. For all privatized utilities, new, enhanced regulatory agencies were created in the Federal level, at the State level in all 27 states and also in some of the 5500-plus municipalities.

The field of activity for this practice group is the complex Public Contract legislation, counseling private clients who sell to the Government, and asserting their rights in court. The members of the Group, very experienced in administrative procedure and practice, also assist clients engaged in regulated activities in Food and Drug screening agencies, environmental agencies, Utility regulatory authorities, local licensing, zoning regulations, etc. In most cases, litigation in such areas draws Constitutional Law aspects into view of the higher courts, including the Brazilian Supreme Court.

• Civil law
• Commercial law
• Consumer law
• Labour law
• Tax law (administrative and court litigation)
• Administrative law
• Intellectual property law (administrative and court litigation)

Complex projects with major legal content are the specialty of this Group. Negotiation of large contracts and restructuring of businesses are examples of the Group’s procedure, requiring frequently the research and analysis of new legislative or economic opportunities.

Aware that the transactional practice is qualitatively different from the litigation or advisory lawyering, requesting peculiar experience and skills, the firm encourages the utilization of this specialized group whenever a settlement or a negotiation is required.

• Antitrust law
• Dumping, technical barriers, anti-subsidy and related measures
• Assistance in litigation before the WTO, WIPO and other international bodies
• Arbitration before WIPO
• International law advising
• Analysis of contracts and agreements

Competition Law, both in its Antitrust face or in the dumping and countervailing aspects, is an important practice area for the firm.

Representing as co-counsels the foreign parties, the firm has recently obtained the dismissal of one of the most relevant dumping charges against foreign importers.

The firm or its members have also pursued unique litigation and administrative dumping cases in connection with non-GATT importers, assisted in litigation or otherwise Brazilian companies enjoying from National Defense or similar waivers from WTO rules, advised government agencies on Export Control issues, Incentives and Subsidies, and other aspects of the International Economic Law. It has also provided support to Brazilian firms in connection with Technical Barriers cases and third country dumping.

In all such areas, the firm interacts with its economic and informational consultants to provide an inclusive support to its clients. The joint work with foreign law firms has shown to be an extremely valuable tool in this context.

Our team includes international lawyers with knowledge and experience in International Practice, negotiation of complex contracts with multi-national effects and practice in international bodies including the general assistance as well as being hired by international bodies to grant opinions on national law.

Also, with members that are international arbiters and with graduate courses in ADR, we have due expertise to assist in these alternative areas.

• Sport law
• Educational law
• Arbitration / Negotiation
• Entertainment law

Sport Law in Brazil is an extremely specialized field. Our office acts representing athletes in litigation and transactional matters, specially regarding Intellectual Property (IP), merchandising and other commercial image protection issues and copyright and trademark development. Our team comprehends Olympic athletes and IP specialists, among others.

Education in Brazil is a largely increasing area of investment. Having assisted clients during many years in all kinds of related activities, our team is thoroughly ready to act on behalf of clients seeking assistance in this area.

Alternative Dispute Resolution has gained importance throughout the world in large businesses as it grants a fast, confidential alternative to judicial disputes. With trained attorneys in this area, we are well prepared to represent clients in these cases.

Entertainment Law is a growing area in Brazil that became known in the world for its cultural capacity. In this area, we act in the legal and contractual assistance in the areas of financing, tax incentives, content production and distribution, content exhibition and transmission.

• Formatting audiovisual projects
• Investment and financing
• Director / producers agreements
• Copyright and neighboring rights

We represent companies and individuals in the area of author´s rights, and entertainment law including draft of agreements, strategic negotiations, asset protection, draft of memoranduns and legal opinions, Formatting audiovisual projects, Investment and Financing and Copyright and Neighboring Rights.

• Contractual aspects related to the Fashion Industry
• Protection through Intellectual Property records
• Collision warnings
• Technical assistance in legal actions
• Legal advice
• Related searches

Fashion Law, is the area of law that deals with the relationships that involve the fashion industry. It is a multidisciplinary area that has in its core the application of various branches of law to the peculiar legal issues that involve this industry.

While on the one hand there is a growing demand from the luxury industry for maintaining the exclusivity of their products by repressing counterfeit products (especially in the various popular markets in Brazil); on the other hand, there is an entire industry that, even if outside the classification of luxury products / services, seeks protection for its fashion business or even other legal solutions that increase its efficiency in the relevant market.