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Roberta Arantes

has been working in Intellectual Property since 2001 and is the partner responsible for Coordinating the Trademark Legal team at Daniel Law.

Recent Articles by Roberta Arantes

Business (Almost) as Usual at Brazilian IP Courts and IPO

Like most countries, Brazil has been facing severe restrictions in an attempt to slow down the spread of COVID-19.  Non-essential services are currently closed in almost all metropolitan areas and authorities are discussing plans to resume activities while the number of fatalities reaches its peak. In Brazil, the courts have approximately 450,000 employees, including more than 18,000 judges. If we also consider 1.2 million attorneys, it is reasonable to say that the justice system in Brazil involves at least 1.65 million people. The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) operates on a smaller scale, with no more than 1,000 public officials on duty. The IP community is on average quite smaller in comparison to other areas, such as banking and M&A, but still extremely active. The BPTO hears over 250,000 proceedings per year, including patent, trademark, design applications and contracts.