Interview with Luiz Henrique do Amaral

Luiz Henrique do Amaral is the senior partner and chair of the Managing Committee of Dannemann Siemsen in Brazil and the First Vice-President of AIPPI.

Interview conducted with Diarmuid De Faoite, AIPPI Communication and Marketing Manager, in March 2020.

Luiz Henrique do Amaral is the senior partner and chair of the Managing Committee of Dannemann Siemsen in Brazil and the First Vice-President of AIPPI, the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. He served as the Chair of the Organising Committee for the AIPPI World Congress held in Rio de Janeiro in 2015.

Dear Luiz, thank you for this interview. Can you tell us why IP professionals in Latin America should join AIPPI?

In my opinion, AIPPI is the most important intellectual property (IP) organization in the world. It has an impressive number of members, around 9,000 from all over the globe.

The organization is particularly of interest to those working in IP in Latin America. AIPPI has been very active in the region in recent years. Because it is inclusive, membership is open to anyone interested in IP and this creates a rich basis for networking. The educational aspect has always been extremely important. Also of importance is the business side. Involvement in the association can offer growth opportunities for law firms because AIPPI creates the right climate for interaction and networking to share experiences and work.

The Latin Americans are really making their presence felt in the association. This was clear from all of the side meetings they were involved in at the last congress when 3,000 IP professionals met in London, England. This makes for a very complete organisation, truly international with a global reach. These kinds of meetings, whether national or international, are a great way to develop a network of clients, colleagues and associates.

What are the specific benefits to get involved on the national level?

I think you can say there are dual benefits. On the one hand, there is the educational program to update everyone on the current status of IP law and cutting edge issues. On the other hand, there are tools and opportunities for networking and the development of business.

For example, we made a concerted effort to attract corporations in Brazil by adding corporate speakers to panels and also forming an in-house committee, which has been joined by around 100 corporations. This is a very active committee, which advises the board and helps to shape the issues we are going to address.

IP professionals like complex, intricate new developments but it is also important to remain objective and the corporate side might have slightly different issues that interest them. By mingling with the business side we can offer something of value to everyone involved in IP.

The Brazil National Group of AIPPI organizes serval events, not just our national annual meeting. On average, every 15 days something is happening that AIPPI has set in place in Latin America. This is everything from round tables to seminars to foreign IP experts visiting and speaking.

What impact has AIPPI had on Intellectual Property in Brazil?

The annual AIPPI Resolutions are highly regarded in Brazil. AIPPI Brazil translates the resolutions into Portuguese and they are then sent to judges and IP offices in Brazil. We know that stakeholders take notice of them and rely on AIPPI positions to shape IP practice. Especially when they are hot topics with issues that are relevant in Brazil as well.

Courts have specifically referenced these resolutions in rulings and the national IP office has also taken them into account.

In Brazil, we also publish a gazette/journal every 2 months. This journal presents a variety of articles by professors, IP lawyers and so on. It has a very large circulation. It goes to the Library of Congress, judges, the Supreme Court, the heads of IP offices and leading examiners. We print about 2,000 issues every 2 months, and it is also available online.

Finally, and because it is the number one topic at the time of writing*, what impact is the coronavirus crisis having on IP in Latin America?

In Brazil, like other countries in Latin America, we have recently come out of an economic crisis but are probably heading for another one as a result of this pandemic. This will of course have wide ranging effects across the economy and IP development in particular.

During this crisis, because people are stuck at home, we have started a series of webinars and online education. These are just for our members and are for free. In addition to providing education, it also sends out a signal to members that AIPPI continues to be active in these extraordinary times.

When the crisis finally passes, AIPPI will be very instrumental because there will be a lot to catch up on. We will need to work on this year’s resolutions and we will all need to reactivate our professional networks. As a well-regarded and active IP association, AIPPI will be able to help all IP professionals to return to their everyday business.

Many thanks for the interview Luiz Henrique!