We offer our clients a 360° approach

We represent clients in cross-border patent disputes before the Unified Patent Court, including proceedings before the Lisbon Local Division.

We advise pharmaceutical, biotechnology and technology companies in infringement and invalidity actions relating to patents and supplementary protection certificates, preliminary injunctions, measures for the preservation and obtaining of evidence, and disputes involving standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND terms.

Our work includes developing procedural strategy, coordinating international legal, scientific and technical teams, and managing cross-border proceedings in cooperation with foreign law firms and specialist experts.

Complex intellectual property disputes are at the heart of our practice. We represent national and international clients in proceedings involving significant legal, scientific, technical and technological complexity before national courts, administrative courts, arbitral tribunals and intellectual property authorities.

Our work includes:

• Infringement and invalidity actions relating to intellectual property rights, preliminary injunctions, measures for the preservation and obtaining of evidence, and damages claims;
• Patent and supplementary protection certificate disputes, including disputes relating to medicines, biotechnology and other life sciences technologies, as well as disputes concerning trademarks, designs, copyright and related rights, software, databases, trade secrets and unfair competition;
• Criminal enforcement of intellectual property rights, including proceedings relating to the infringement of trademarks, copyright and related rights and other intellectual property rights;
• Proceedings before intellectual property authorities, including the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), including opposition, invalidity and revocation proceedings;
• Pre-litigation advice, including infringement and validity assessments, development of defense and enforcement strategies, collection and preservation of evidence, cease-and-desist communications and the negotiation of resolutions;
• Contractual disputes relating to intellectual property, including questions of ownership of inventions and other creations, licensing, confidentiality and trade secrets;
• Arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms relating to intellectual property, technology and innovation;
• Assistance with customs measures and other mechanisms for the prevention and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

We structure the exploitation, transfer and value creation of intellectual property.

We advise on transactions and contractual relationships in which intellectual property rights, technology, knowledge or content constitute significant assets, including:

• M&A, investment and financing transactions, including the analysis and structuring of their intellectual property components;
• Intellectual property due diligence;
• Technology and knowledge transfer;
• Negotiation, drafting and review of agreements relating to intellectual property, technology, software, content and know-how, including:
• Research and development collaboration agreements;
• Assignments and licenses of intellectual property rights;
• Employment and services agreements, including arrangements governing ownership of inventions, software, works and other creations;
• Confidentiality and trade secret protection agreements;
• Coexistence and rights delimitation agreements.

Intellectual property as part of the strategy

We help our clients identify, structure, protect and manage their intellectual assets in line with their scientific, technological, creative and commercial objectives.

Our work includes:

• Development of intellectual property strategies and portfolio management;
• Protection and registration strategies, including assessments of the protectability of inventions, trademarks, designs and other assets;
• IP Legal Check / IP Investment Ready services, including the identification of risks, protection gaps and value creation opportunities;
• Development of internal processes for the strategic management of intellectual property assets;
• Intellectual property regulations, policies and internal procedures;
• Strategies for protecting know-how, confidential information and trade secrets;
• Intellectual property training.

Creativity and technology are also assets that need to be protected, exploited and enforced.

We advise companies, institutions and creators on copyright and related rights, from identifying and protecting creations to their exploitation, licensing and enforcement in situations of conflict or litigation.

Our experience includes:

• Protection and enforcement of literary and artistic works, digital content, software, databases, design, architecture, photography, audiovisual works and other creations;
• Ownership analysis and reconstruction of chains of title;
• Licensing, assignment and exploitation of rights;
• Copyright in employment relationships, services agreements and collaborative projects;
• Civil and criminal enforcement of copyright and related rights;
• Copyright in the context of digital platforms and artificial intelligence systems;
• The interaction between copyright, software, data, confidentiality and trade secrets.

Data and artificial intelligence raise new challenges at the intersection of technology, regulation and intellectual property.

We advise our clients on the development, acquisition and use of technology and artificial intelligence systems, integrating data protection, AI regulation, intellectual property, confidentiality and trade secret issues, including:

• GDPR compliance and data protection programs;
• Privacy policies, consent and data subjects’ rights;
• Data processing agreements and relationships with processors;
• Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs);
• Privacy by design, international data transfers and incident management;
• The legal framework applicable to digital products and services;
• The AI Act, systems classification and the obligations applicable to the different actors involved;
• Internal AI use policies, governance, transparency and human oversight;
• Agreements with technology and AI system providers;
• The interaction between data protection, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, confidentiality and trade secrets.