Francisco Espinosa Bellido: A Life That Shaped Peruvian IP Law

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

The Latin American intellectual property community lost one of its most prominent voices in early 2026 with the passing of Francisco Espinosa Bellido, senior partner of the Lima-based firm that bears his family's name. He was a lawyer in the fullest sense — technically precise, institutionally committed, and warmly present in every professional gathering he attended. 

His death closes a chapter in Peruvian legal history that stretches back more than eight decades. But the firm he shaped continues, and the practitioners he mentored carry his influence forward.
A firm three generations deep

The industrial property work of Espinosa Bellido Abogados began in 1941 with Francisco Espinosa Sánchez, the founder's father. By the time Francisco Espinosa Bellido took the reins, the firm already had a decades-long track record representing national and international clients across trademark, patent, and related disputes before Peru's IP authorities.

Espinosa Bellido obtained his law degree in 1972 and on May 7, 1979, after building a dual practice in industrial property and tax law, he took definitive and exclusive control of the firm founded by his father. What followed was a sustained process of modernization — expanding the practice, deepening specialization, and cultivating the firm's reputation not just in Lima but across the hemisphere.
What distinguished Espinosa Bellido was not only his firm's caseload but his sustained engagement with the institutions that shape IP policy and practice across Latin America. He served as president of the Asociación Peruana de Propiedad Industrial (APPI) in 1995, and as both vocal and vice-president of the Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI), eventually being distinguished as an Honorary Member of that body.

He became a member of the Board of ASIPI during the 1994–1997 term, then served as First Vice-President during the 1997–2000 and 2000–2003 terms — a sustained decade of leadership in the region's most influential IP association.

He was a regular conference speaker at events organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and other specialized bodies, participating actively in the evolution of IP law at the regional and global levels.

Perhaps Espinosa Bellido's most enduring contribution is the family institution he stewarded and passed on. His son, Francisco Espinosa Reboa, has served as President of the Asociación Peruana de Propiedad Industrial y Derechos de Autor (APPI) and as alternate delegate for Peru before ASIPI, and maintains an active participation in INTA committees.

Espinosa Bellido leaves behind a firm that has served Peruvian and international clients for over eighty years, a son who carries the practice into its third generation, and a profession that is measurably different for his participation in it.