Intellectual property in Costa Rica
BLP
Under the leadership of Giselle Reuben, BLP's IP department regularly acts for international clients such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Scotiabank, Amazon and Unilever. In a recent work highlight, department head and up-and-coming associate León Weinstok advised Pandora Jewellery on a raid against counterfeit products infringing the client's rights. Uri Weinstok was entrusted with handling more than 50 trade mark applications throughout Central America for H&M, and the team also assisted Uber Technologies with the notification process for a data breach and co-ordination with the Data Protection Agency in order to avoid any sanctions.
Zürcher Lawyers
Zürcher Lawyers, the IP department of Zürcher, Odio & Raven, has extensive experience in portfolio management, transactional matters, litigation, prosecution of patents, and trade mark applications. Practice head María del Pilar López has also established a life sciences and privacy practice. The team's impressive client roster includes household names from the food and beverage, hospitality, electronics and pharmaceutical industries. Associate Esteban Monge is another key figure in the department.
Arias
The intellectual property department at Arias has undergone substantial growth with the incorporation of IP boutique firm Castro & Pal Abogados, with key figure Luis Diego Castro joining at the end of February 2019. Andrey Dorado and senior associate Mariana Vargas manage extensive trade mark portfolios, including assisting with oppositions, appeals, transfers and domicile changes, for clients such as Grupo Inditex, L'Oréal and Sanofi. In a recent work highlight, the team assisted Chempak International in appealing against a patent rejection and requesting the nullity of the registration of a competitor's products.
E-Proint
E-Proint is a boutique IP firm with a strong reputation for complex mandates in Central America. Co-heads Gabriela Bodden and Aaron Montero and the team of five associates work with clients from a wide array of business sectors such as pharmaceutical, retail and entertainment. Among its IP services, the team advises on oppositions against third-party filings, designation of origin disputes, and the seizure and prevention of the sale or distribution of counterfeit products. Senior associate Karla Corrales is also noted.
Facio & Cañas
Facio & Cañas' specialised intellectual property department goes by the name of Faycamark and is dedicated to advising clients on patents, trade marks, copyrights, trade secrets and regulatory law. The team advises on preventive portfolio development and management, and on the contentious side it handles unfair competition and infringement actions. Practice co-heads Jorge Tristán and Milagro Chaves and associate Laura Valverde are the key contacts.
Consortium Legal
Led by senior associate Fabiola Sáenz, Consortium Legal's IP department is especially active providing IP services to clients of the firm's strong banking practice. The team also regularly advises clients in the cosmetics industry on the management of large portfolios. Other specialist areas of expertise are matters related to artificial intelligence, industrial automation and blockchains. In a recent work highlight, Sáenz acted for an ophthalmologist in successfully applying for a patent for a device for cornea surgeries.
Dentons Muñoz
Senior associate Monserrat Guitart is the director of the IP and technology department at Dentons Muñoz. On the non-contentious side, the team regularly assists international clients with patent and trade mark strategy development and registration. The practice also handles contentious IP and data privacy matters.
EY Law Central America
EY Law Central America's IP practice in San José is led by Roxana Cordero Pereira. The firm mainly manages trade mark portfolios, but also advises on copyright and patent registration. The department advises Grupo Bimbo, Avon, Ingeniería Estrella and Omnilife on the management of their entire IP portfolios, ranging from assisting with trade mark and patent registrations and renewals to infringement procedures and unfair competition issues. Managing partner Hernán Pacheco O is also a key figure in the department.
Lexincorp
WIPO-certified patent writer Gabriela Miranda leads Lexincorp's IP practice in Costa Rica. The department is often called upon to assist international law firms with intellectual property matters in the country; recently, the firm handled several cases upon referral by Tilleke & Gibbins, including the filing of cancellations and trade mark oppositions for Sundaram-Clayton to protect its trade marks in Central America.