José Roberto Gusmão

José Roberto Gusmão is the founding partner of Gusmão & Labrunie and one of Brazil’s leading authorities in Intellectual Property. With an academic and professional career developed in Brazil and abroad, he holds both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Law from the Université Robert Schuman (Strasbourg III), France, where he also served as a Visiting Professor.

He played a pivotal role in the institutional development of Intellectual Property in Brazil, including serving as President of the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in the early 1990s. During his tenure, he actively contributed to the drafting of Brazil’s Industrial Property Law, enacted in 1996.

Over more than four decades of practice, he has built extensive experience in some of the most significant and complex areas of Intellectual Property. His work combines deep technical expertise, regulatory insight, and a sophisticated understanding of the commercial and competitive issues surrounding the protection, management and commercialization of intellectual property rights.

In addition to his legal practice, José Roberto has maintained a distinguished academic and institutional career. As a Professor at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), he established Brazil’s first graduate program (stricto sensu) in Intellectual Property, mentoring numerous master’s and doctoral candidates in the field. He is the author of a book published by the Université de Strasbourg, as well as numerous articles and leading publications on Intellectual Property. He also played a key role in strengthening the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI), having founded the ABPI Journal, one of the country’s leading publications dedicated to Intellectual Property. He currently serves as a lifetime member of its Board of Directors.

Consistently recognized by leading national and international legal directories, José Roberto is a trusted advisor to Brazilian and international clients in highly complex and strategically significant matters involving Intellectual Property and related areas of law.