With the aim of improving and accelerating the examination of trademark applications, the Brazilian Trademark Office (INPI) announced on November 18th that it has updated its Trademark Manual and Guidelines concerning the receipt and processing of trademark applications and related petitions. The updated guidelines establish new ‘examination queues,’ reorganizing the procedures applicable to the examination of trademark applications.

As international markets grow closer, parallel importation has become a topic of growing importance, spark-ing debates about the movement of goods across borders. This practice involves the importation of genuine products that feature a third party’s trademark, industrial design, or patent but are introduced into a market outside the official distribution channels and without the authorization of the intellectual property (IP) owner, such as premium wines and spirits, branded drinks, well-known chocolate and snack brands, luxury perfumes, and smartphones.

The European Commission has confirmed Brazil provides a GDPR-adequate level of data protection in a decision that is anticipated to benefit the country’s economy.

The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) Industrial Property Statistical Yearbook 2024, recently released, provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in Brazil’s innovation and intellectual property (IP) landscape. The document presents updated statistics and indicators on the use of IP rights across the country, offering valuable input for public policy design, corporate strategies, and academic research on innovation.

Key Developments and Strategic Insights:

The recently released BPTO Statistical Yearbook 2024 highlights important developments regarding Technology Transfer agreements recorded before the BPTO. In 2024, a total number of 355 agreements were recorded, reflecting the evolving regulatory landscape that now grants greater flexibility to companies operating across borders. Recent amendments to the Brazilian Tax Law and Transfer Pricing Law have simplified procedures for royalty remittances abroad and for tax deductibility purposes, reshaping how intellectual property and technology transactions are structured in Brazil.

Firms are adapting litigation strategy as Brazil’s unique legal system and technical expertise have made preliminary injunctions a key tool in global patent disputes.

Brazil is confronting one of the most serious crises in its alcoholic beverage market, with authorities seizing large consignments of counterfeit and adulterated products across various regions — especially in the Southeast — many contaminated with methanol, a toxic substance capable of causing blindness, kidney failure and death even at small doses. So far, the toll includes hundreds of victims and dozens of deaths, underscoring that the problem transcends mere individual consumption to become a matter of public health, sanitary safety, and protection of fair competition.

The 2024 BPTO Industrial Property Statistical Yearbook presents a comprehensive picture of the trademark landscape in Brazil, confirming that the demand for trademark protection continues to expand steadily. Trademarks remain the most dynamic and democratized segment of the Brazilian intellectual property system, reflecting the growing entrepreneurial activity and the significant role of trademarks in value creation and market differentiation.

This week, the Brazilian Senate’s Economic Affairs Committee (CAE) approved a bill that prevents the budgetary contingency of funds allocated to the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO). The proposal was granted urgent status and will now move to a plenary vote, with no date yet set.

A Practice Note providing a high-level overview of key records retention requirements relating to personal data in Brazil. It addresses governing laws, authority guidance, and sectorspecific requirements. This Practice Note does not address every records retention obligation under Brazilian laws.