With a speech focused on increasing innovation and industrial patenting in response to the growing deindustrialization of Brazil, lawyer Gabriel Leonardos was sworn in as the President of ABPI – Brazilian Intellectual Property Association for the 2022-2023 biennium on November 19th. “In encouraging patenting by industries based in Brazil, we have a clear space for ABPI to act in, together with its historical partners such as the BPTO – Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office and WIPO – World Intellectual Property Organization”, said Leonardos.
Held at a luncheon in São Paulo, the ceremony marked the board successions of ABPI and ABAPI (Brazilian Association of Industrial Property Agents). Distinguished personalities from the world of Intellectual Property attended the event, such as the President Cláudio Furtado and the Director of Patents Liane Lage, from the BPTO; and the presidents of AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property), Luiz Henrique do Amaral, ASIPI (Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property), Elisabeth Siemsen do Amaral; ABAPI, Álvaro Loureiro (sworn in, along with his board, for a second term), as well as representatives from relevant IP law firms in Brazil.
In his speech, the new ABPI president also highlighted the encouragement of diversity and inclusion as a priority of his management and set an example in the constitution of the Executive Board under his leadership, which, for the first time, has gender parity, with four women among its eight members. “Although we have already made some progress in attracting LGBTQIA+ people, we know we can certainly still improve at this point”, he said. “The construction of a more egalitarian society requires continuous work, and we lack aspects of diversity and other groups to be strengthened, such as attracting more black people and people with disabilities”.
Leonardos dwelled on the drop in patent filing, which in his opinion is a direct consequence of Brazil’s deindustrialization and “our inability to insert Brazil into global production chains”. Citing BPTO data, he recalled that, from 2013 to 2020, the number of patent applications filed annually with the institute, among domestic and foreigners, dropped from 34,050 to 27,091, and the forecast for 2021 is just over 26 thousand filings.
Worldwide, the total number of patent applications grew from 2.57 million in 2013 to 3.32 million in 2018, with a slight drop in 2019, to 3.22 million. “In other words, while worldwide there was an average increase of 25% in patent deposits, in Brazil there was a decrease of about 22%!” he pointed out.
The drop in the number of patent filings reflects deindustrialization. “In 1980, we had the 6th largest industrial park on the planet. In 2019 we dropped to the 19th position”, he stated. According to Leonardos, innovation is the lever for development. “Among all economic activities, only the industry manages to generate constant innovations, besides producing social mobility and expanding opportunities for all social strata”.
“Here at ABPI, we will continue to make our contribution to the sustainable, social, and economic development of Brazil, always with ethics and great dedication. I wish you all good health, a Merry Christmas, prosperity, and joy in the coming New Year”, said Leonardos, ending his speech.
ABPI’s new board
President: Gabriel Francisco Leonardos
1st Vice President: Peter Eduardo Siemsen
2nd Vice president: Tatiana Campello Lopes
Reporter General: Rodrigo Affonso de Ouro Preto Santos
Secretary: Maria Inez de Araújo Abreu
Treasurer: Antonella Carminatti
Editor: Laetitia Maria Alice Pablo d’Hanens
General Counsel: Paulo Parente Marques Mendes
COUNCIL
Ana Carolina Cagnoni
Ana Cristina Müller
Antonio de Figueiredo Murta Filho
Eduardo Paranhos
Elisabeth Siemsen do Amaral
Eneida Elias Berbare
Fábio Luiz Barboza Pereira
Felipe Oquendo
Filipe Fonteles Cabral
Gustavo Henrique Eirado de Escobar
Gustavo José Ferreira Barbosa
Hélio Fabbri Jr.
Jacques Labrunie
José Eduardo de Pieri
José Mauro Decoussau Machado
Maria Cristina Machado Cortez
Marianna Furtado de Mendonça
Mario Augusto Soerensen Garcia
Nathalia Mazzonetto
Patricia Leal Gestic
Philippe Martins Bhering
Rana Gosain
Renata Lisboa
Renata Westminster Shaw
Ricardo Cardoso Costa Boclin
Roberto Ribeiro
Roner Guerra Fabris
Soraya Imbassahy de Mello
Taís Capito Castro Alves
Valdir de Oliveira Rocha
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
AL – Branca Alves de Miranda Pereira
AM – Wagner Robério Barros Gomes
BA – Rodrigo Moraes Ferreira
CE – Bruno de Carvalho Figueiredo
DF – Alexandre Müller Buarque Viveiros
ES – Juliano Regattieri Oliveira
GO – Fábio Carraro
MG – Luiza Tângari Coelho
MT – Geraldo da Cunha Macedo
PE – Ticiano Gadelha
PR – Carmem Iris Parellada Nicolodi
RJ – Luis Fernando de R. Matos Jr.
RN – Rochelle Barbosa Andrade de Sousa
RS – Rodrigo Azevedo Pereira
SC – Frederica Richter
SP – Marcos Chucralla Moherdauí Blasi
