BLP remains a market leader, employing the full bench strength of offices in San José, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Marina Flamingo, in addition to branches across Latin America and Europe, to advise global household names including adidas, Bayer and Sony, on the management, licensing and enforcement of their international intellectual property portfolios. With an active client base spanning such sectors as pharmaceuticals, apparel, entertainment, food and beverages, education, tech and financial services, the practice’s full offering covers matters involving trade marks, copyrights and sanitary registrations, in addition to complex patent prosecutions, cross-border registration reports, the seizure of counterfeit goods, third-party infringements and the assignment of rights. The practice is headed by Giselle Reuben, who brings expertise to the anti-counterfeiting litigation practice, and Uri Weinstok, who draws on a multidisciplinary skill set to manage IP issues related to competition and antitrust law and advertising. Other key figures include directors León Weinstok, who specialises in IP data protection matters, and Anel Aguilar, who handles complex trade mark filing strategies.

Coordinating with offices across Central America and the Caribbean, the experienced team at IP specialist Eproint advises global household-name brands across such sectors as sports, pharmaceuticals, food, tech, entertainment, cosmetics, agriculture, apparel and consumer products. The group’s full offering covers matters ranging from IP litigation, IP holding strategies, distributorship and IP asset management to portfolio management, regional expansion, complex registrations and patent protection. The practice is led by founding partner Aaron Montero, who serves as the ambassador of intellectual property to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and Gabriela Bodden, who served as president of non-profit the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and, in addition to copyright, trade mark and patent matters, brings expertise to IP issues in the medical cannabis space. Other key figures include Carlos Corrales, who draws on over 29 years in the IP arena and a background as an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and director of the firm’s national department of intellectual and industrial property Karla Corrales, who brings strength to matters involving data protection. The practice was significantly bolstered when former Arias IP practice heads Luis Diego Castro (an expert in the life sciences and technology sectors), María Del Pilar López (a well-known name for the full range of contentious and non-contentious IP matters) and Simon Valverde (who is highly skilled in patent prosecutions) arrived in June 2024.

The IP practice at Arias coordinates across seven offices in six countries throughout Central America to employ regional strength when managing and safeguarding the intellectual property portfolios of household-name global corporates across the food and beverages, hospitality, energy, pharmaceuticals and entertainment sectors. The practice’s comprehensive service covers litigation and enforcement, brand management, licensing and the development of registration strategies for copyrights, trade marks, trade names, slogans and patents. However, the Costa Rica office has seen considerably change with the June 2024 departure of fomer partners María Del Pilar López, Luis Diego Castro and Simon Valverde, since when the firm has hired Cynthia Wo-Ching from independent practice; she arrives as practice director and can draw on a strong background in regulatory affairs. Key support is provided by associate María Laura Torres, who assists both start-ups and multinationals. Former associate Ariana Lizano has also left the firm - effective as of May 2024

The intellectual property practice at COLBS Estudio Legal channels the experience of its team to advise public figures and national and multinational corporates on the management and protection of their international IP portfolios. With an active client roster spanning sectors ranging from hospitality, food, construction, chemicals and pharmaceuticals to real estate, tech, sports, motor vehicles, engineering and software, the firm’s full service extends to assistance with IP legislation, copyrights, trade marks, patents, IP due diligence and complex IP litigation. The practice is headed by IP data privacy expert Sebastián Jiménez and Jessica Ward, a portfolio management specialist who utilises a background as an IP negotiator at the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

The team at Consortium Legal leverages the deep regional bench strength of offices in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua to manage and safeguard the intellectual property portfolios of financial institutions and national and multinational corporates. With an active client base spanning such sectors as retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, life science, telecoms, real estate, hospitality and aviation, the practice’s full offering covers copyright, patent and trade mark prosecution, due diligence and impact assessments. The practice is headed by Fabiola Sáenz, who brings experience and expertise to a diverse spectrum of IP matters, including major transactions, counterfeiting cases and regulatory issues. Key support is provided by associate Adriana Morales, who specialises in protecting the right to image.

The team at ECIJA draws on the bench strength of its March 2023 alliance with Taylor Wessing LLP and offices throughout Europe and Latin America (and in the metaverse) to safeguard and manage the trade marks, copyrights and patents of national and multinational corporates, such as Church & Dwight, across a diverse range of sectors, including consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, hospitality and textiles. The practice’s full service offering extends to industrial designs, utility models, advertising, merchandising and sponsorship and assignments. Monserrat Soto Roig, who was elevated to the partnership in September 2024, leads the team, bringing expertise to such matters as IP risk assessment, image rights, software licences and work-for-hire agreements.

The IP team at regional firm EY Law Central America harnesses the deep bench strength of eight offices in seven countries to advise major multinationals across such sectors as food and beverages, chemicals, software and pharmaceuticals on a wide spread of matters across the practice area. The group’s full offering ranges from infringement disputes, anti-counterfeiting litigation, trade mark protection strategies and enforcement actions to franchise issues, licensing, sanitary registrations and consumer protection. The practice is led by Hernán Pacheco, the managing partner of EY Law in Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, who brings over 25 years of experience. Key support at the associate level is provided by Laura Ulate, who assists with complex sanitary and regulatory matters.

Faycamark, the intellectual property division of Facio & Cañas (which expanded in March 2023, opening two new offices in Puntarenas and Guanacaste), brings strength to advising major multinational corporates such as Eli Lilly and Company on a diverse spectrum of matters related to copyrights, patents, trade marks, trade secrets and regulatory law. With a client roster spanning the pharmaceuticals, apparel, and food and beverages sectors, the group’s comprehensive service covers enforcement, strategic portfolio development and management, due diligence and complex IP litigation, representing foreign and national franchisors, licensors and distributors engaged in merchandising ventures and product licensing. The practice is led by managing partner and IP authority Milagro Chaves and senior associate and life sciences specialist Laura Valverde.

The IP team at boutique firm MMonivation brings expertise to assisting multinationals, regional companies and start-ups with the maintenance and protection of their trade marks, patents, copyrights and sanitary registrations. With a client base spanning the food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sectors, the practice covers matters ranging from registration procedures, refusals and assignments to cancellations, due diligence and litigation. The practice is led by international director Ana Catalina Monge, a former deputy director of the Office of Industrial Property, and an expert in multi-jurisdictional IP mandates. Also of note is former Trademark Registry examiner Andrés Hernandez, who leads the firm’s national IP practice, and who brings to the team over 30 years of experience.

Tactic Legal, which continues to grow after being formed by former COLBS Estudio Legal partner Javier Escalante after he and Sebastián Jiménez split their practices in September 2021, assists NGOs and major multinationals across such sectors as cosmetics, retail, agriculture, tech, food and beverages, aviation and healthcare with the maintenance and protection of their international IP portfolios. The practice’s full service covers matters ranging from cross-border sanitary registrations and brand enforcement strategies to trade mark surveillance and regulatory compliance. The practice is led by Escalante, a seasoned trade negotiator who has served as both Consul General of Costa Rica in Singapore and Ambassador of Costa Rica in Qatar, and associate Karla Villalobos Wong, who draws on experience in trade marks, trade names, inventions, copyrights and utility models. Since the conclusion of research, the firm has merged with Guatemala's A. D. Sosa & Soto and rebranded as Tactic Legal as part of an ongoing process to become a regional player; the new entity also has offices in El Salvador and Honduras.

Boutique firm Zürcher IP leverages the experience of its team to advise global brands including Chanel, Microsoft and Sony Pictures Television on the safeguarding and management of their international intellectual property portfolios. The firm’s active client roster spans such sectors as hospitality, food, fashion, consumer goods, video games, education, automotive, tech and entertainment. The practice’s full offering covers matters ranging from anti-counterfeiting measures, sanitary registrations, antitrust issues and franchising to consumer protection and advertising, data protection and high-stakes IP litigation. The team is co-led by senior partner Harry Zürcher; Edgar Zürcher, a specialist in the real estate and banking sectors; and Marco López, who brings expertise to IP disputes, transactional matters and brand enforcement. Another key figure is senior attorney Kristel Faith, who brings expertise in the cross-border coordination of IP protection strategies.