Mr Simon Valverde > Arias > San Jose, Costa Rica > Lawyer Profile

Arias
CLS Business Center
9no piso / 9th floor
Sabana, San José
Costa Rica

Work Department

Civil and Notarial Law

Intellectual Property and Lifesciences Law

Technology, Media and Telecommunications

Position

Partner

Career

  • Simón Valverde is a partner. He is commonly identified as one of the leading authorities in Intellectual Property in Costa Rica. He was counsel for the Vice-Dean’s Office of Investigation at the Universidad de Costa Rica, responsible for intellectual property, technology and knowledge transfer of the university. Attorney Valverde is a founding member and past Director of the Costa Rican Association of Intellectual Property Professionals (APPICR). Mr. Valverde has directed prosecution of a large percentage of the patent applications filed by the firm in Costa Rica, attending more than 100 interviews with patent examiners, by far the largest number of any patent professional in Costa Rica.
  • Attorney Valverde successfully litigated at the judicial courts (Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo), along with attorney Luis Diego Castro, the two cases that set the current standard of what should be included in a patent examiners review of a patent application and set the mandatory use of the Patent Examination Guidelines, of discretionary use by examiners before that decision. On behalf of APPICR he organized and coordinated, jointly with the Patent Office, two seminars on patent examination guidelines and examination of pharmaceutical patents. Advised the Costa Rican Patent Office during the process to draft the new bylaws to the Costa Rican Patent Law (Reglamento a la Ley de Patentes No. 6867). He also provides advice in trademark, trade secret and copyright matters to Fortune 500 companies as well as to public institutions and individuals.
  • Since 2011 he is a faculty member of the Intellectual Property course of the Criminal Law Master Degree program at Universidad Latina of Costa Rica (a member of the Laureate International Network) and currently he is faculty member and technical expert in the changes to the curriculum of the Intellectual Property Master Degree program at Universidad Estatal A Distancia de Costa Rica (the only such program in Costa Rica).

Languages

Spanish and English

Memberships

  • Costa Rican Bar Association
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • Costa Rican Association of Intellectual Property Professionals (APPICR)
  • International Bas Association (IBA).

Education

  • Law Degree from the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
  • Post-graduate Studies in Notary Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Centroamérica.
  • LLM in Intellectual Property, Commerce and Technology Degree from the University of New Hampshire (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center).

Lawyer Rankings

Costa Rica > Intellectual property

(Leading individuals)

Simón ValverdeArias

The powerhouse intellectual property group at Arias remains a market leader, coordinating with seven offices in six countries across Central America to employ regional strength when managing and safeguarding the intellectual property portfolios of household-name global corporates (including Bayer), across sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, consumer goods and chemicals to entertainment, hospitality and the automotive industry. The practice’s comprehensive service covers litigation and enforcement, licensing, brand management and the development of registration strategies for copyrights, trade marks, trade names, slogans and patents. The practice is jointly led by IP authority María Del Pilar López, who brings expertise to regulatory affairs, personal data protection, and judicial and administrative processes; veteran patent prosecutor Simón Valverde; and biotech patent expert Luis Diego Castro. Key support is provided by senior associate Ariana Lizano, who develops strategies for Costa Rica market entrants in the food and consumer products industries, and associate Valeria Grant, who handles patent registration procedures. Associate María Laura Torres joined in October 2022 from trade mark boutique RJM Abogados.