The Legal 500 > Latin America > Dominican Republic > Intellectual property

Angeles Pons' 'very solid' and 'proactive' department is highly regarded for its 'personalised service' and expertise across a broad spectrum of IP matters. The 'business-oriented' Wallis Pons is arguably 'one of the best IP lawyers in the Caribbean'; she defended Grupo Ramos in a trade mark prosecution brought by shoe manufacturing company Crocs, while Jaime Ángeles represented Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra in a dispute with Distribuidora De Discos Karen and Karen Publishing regarding copyright ownership of his songs. The team is also noted for handling work pertaining to Cuba and other Caribbean jurisdictions.

MINIÑO Abogados' department is well known for its solid expertise handling a broad spectrum of IP matters, and has a notable presence in the Caribbean, where the team's workload includes regulatory matters and trade mark prosecutions. Recent work for the group includes handling pharmaceutical patent litigation, with Hutchinson MediPharma, Bayer Pharma, MacroGenics and AstraZeneca included in the client roster. Trade mark litigation is another key strength, and telecoms signal piracy is a niche capability for the firm. Practice head Urko Ochoa and managing partner Orietta Blanco are key contacts; senior associate Pamela Hernandez is strong in trade mark matters.

Intellectual property work is a cornerstone area of expertise for Troncoso Leroux's department, which is 'very thorough, prompt and delivers quality service'. Trade mark infringement cases have been prominent in the team's recent workload: practice head Maria del Pilar Troncoso represented Gucci in a case involving counterfeit goods, and assisted the same client with a parallel import mandate regarding the use of the client's trade mark on cigarette packages, which were to be imported from Mexico to the Dominican Republic. Other areas of strength include copyright, patents, regulatory work and trade mark filing. Pedro Troncoso is well known for handling IP litigation. Senior associate Vanessa Cabrera is also noted.

Following the departure of partner Ana Messina Vasquez to Pellerano & Messina in April 2019, Bufete Messina-Lugo IP became Bufete Lugo Lovaton. The firm is very strong in franchising and advertising work, and is also well known for handling a high volume of trade mark and copyright cases. Clients are drawn from the pharmaceutical, food, beverages, cosmetics and textile industries, to name a few sectors. Senior partner Zaida Lugo Lovaton is the key name. José Santana Isaac is very experienced in trade mark matters, and associate Héctor Collado Sarante is noted for his expertise in IP litigation.

Sharin Pablo de Roca leads the practice at JJ Roca & Asociados; she is assisting French pharmaceutical company Servier with its trade mark portfolio for the Dominican Republic, including enforcement issues. In another matter, she is representing Just Goods in a trade mark opposition action. Other areas of expertise for the team include patents, regulatory matters, and copyright issues, and it also has a notable presence in Caribbean and other Latin American countries. Senior associate and IP practice coordinator Ana Paula Campusano is very experienced in IP litigation.

Trade mark infringement and prosecution work is a key capability of Castillo y Castillo's practice. Tania Castillo and senior associate Carimer Guzmán are the names to note; both lawyers are representing Mattel in litigation concerning the infringement of the Barbie trade mark. The Walt Disney Company and Samsung Electronics are additional clients on the trade mark side.

April 2019 saw the entry of Pellerano & Messina, an IP boutique created by Ricardo Pellerano of Pellerano & Herrera and Ana Messina Vasquez, former senior partner at Bufete Lugo Lovaton, into the intellectual property market in the Dominican Republic. Although the firm is a relative newcomer, the practice draws upon Vasquez's established expertise - over three decades - in intellectual property law. Associate Thelma De la Rosa is also noted.

Ulises Cabrera Abogados' practice handles contentious and non-contentious patent, copyright and trade mark work from a range of sectors, including the pharmaceutical, agriculture and technology industries. Practice head Magdalena Almonte represented a prominent medical materials company in trade mark infringement litigation. She is also advising Aiosa on plant patent matters. Other clients include Kellogg Sales Company, Grupo Familia and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.