The Brazilian IP community has great expectations for 2014, despite distracting events: a carnival in March, the FIFA World Cup in June and elections in October.
The Brazilian IP landscape is likely to be affected by activity at the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
The year started with changes in the administration, with the announcement of Otavio Brandelli as the new commissioner for the Brazilian Patent Office (INPI). He replaces Jorge Avila, who held the position for about 10 years, but was recently labelled by the government as “pro-patent”. A career diplomat, and an advocate for the “agenda for development” that Brazil and Argentina presented at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Brandelli is known for his strong views about the patent system, especially towards pharmaceutical patents.
In his first speech, Brandelli supported a bill (5.402/2013) introduced by House Representative Newton Lima suggesting severe changes to the current patent statute. Lima’s proposal, influenced by recent changes in India, aims at lowering the standards of patent protection and enforcement and raising the bar for patentability. According to the statement, Brandelli plans to organise an event at the INPI with Lima to discuss the bill.
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