The year of productive reinvention

The year 2020 brought great challenges, and with the pandemic, ABPI had to reinvent itself. However, the compulsory virtualization of the association activities had its positive side. New technologies were incorporated into the day-to-day, the number of participants in the events exceeded expectations, and communication with members was enhanced. “It was a difficult year, but fortunately we managed to fulfill a positive agenda, and thanks to the commitment and dedication of our directors and the administrative staff we were able to offer good services to our members”, evaluated ABPI’s president, Luiz Edgard Montaury Pimenta.

There were about 50 webinars and 20 podcasts, totaling around 7,000 accesses. This year ABPI also launched its app enabling access to all its services, including ABPI’s Journal, which is now fully digitized. ABPI’s 40th International Congress on Intellectual Property, the first in a virtual format, had a record number of 1,223 registered participants from more than 30 countries. At the event, ABPI handed over the Patent of the Year Award to members of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

In terms of partnerships, ABPI reinforced its approach to the BPTO – Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office, which through its president and directors joined several events promoted by the Association, including the Congress. ABPI also signed cooperation agreements with Latin American intellectual property associations and, more recently, joined Procomex – Alliance for Foreign Trade Logistics Modernization.

At the legal-institutional level, ABPI continues to act as amicus curiae in actions involving Intellectual Property. It is worth mentioning the defense of the constitutionality of the Sole Paragraph of Article 40 of the Industrial Property Law, within the scope of ADI 5.529 (Direct Action of Unconstitutionality) underway at the Federal Supreme Court (STF). ABPI also positioned itself in favor of the maintenance of the Sole Paragraph of Article 40 of the IPL (Law 9.279/96). To this end, ABPI published a full-page Manifesto in the newspaper Valor Econômico.

In the webinars promoted by ABPI, the debates involving COVID-19 gained relevance. Below is a summary of the virtual activities developed by the entity throughout 2020.

• ABPI – Ceduc’s Continuing Education Center was launched in 2020 and has already offered seven courses. The topics involved Strategic Marketing Management, Data Protection (in two modules), Strategic Brand Portfolio Management, Domain Name Dispute Resolution Mechanism, CASD-ND Advanced Expert Training Program, Legal Management, Planning the Future of your Business and Editorial Market.
• The old partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in the IP Summer Courses gained a new format with IP Meetings, which had eight editions in the year. Multidisciplinary experts discussed different topics, such as Mediation and Arbitration, Artificial Intelligence, and Sports.
• In 2020 some events were also held by sectional representatives of ABPI. The Paraná section promoted the debate “The Paraná Innovation System” and the Rio Grande do Sul’s section promoted a debate on “The Regional Business Courts”.
• Webinars were held with executive, legislative and judicial authorities, as well as experts from different areas, to discuss current issues related to IP, such as the “Impacts of the LGPD on the Judiciary”, or transversal to the matter, such as “Justice by them – where we are and where we are going”, with the distinguished presence of Minister Carmen Lúcia, of the STF.
• In the six editions of the Law & Fashion Webtalks, a partnership between ABPI and the Fashion Commission of OAB-RJ (Brazilian Bar Association – Rio de Janeiro), experts in fashion law discussed the challenges of the sector in times of pandemic.
• ABPI promoted four International Webinars, which discussed, under the prism of IP, issues related to COVID-19, green patents, and technology.

You can watch all webinars held by ABPI on ABPI’s YouTube channel.

The presentations of ABPI’s 40th International Congress are still available on the Congress’ website. If you want to watch them, enter with your registration login and password.

For those who missed an ABPI-Ceduc course, they are available on-demand. You can register at any time to have access to the recorded classes and the materials made available by the teachers.