The powerhouse IP team at Romero Pineda remains a market leader, maintaining and defending the global IP portfolios of household-name multinationals (including Pfizer). The team is headed by managing partner and IP authority José Roberto Romero, who brings expertise to matters in the real estate, telecoms, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages sectors, and litigation practice director Carlos Castillo, who draws on over 30 years of experience to manage IP enforcement and anti-counterfeiting disputes. Elsy Durán, the founder of the firm’s foreign IP matters division (who was promoted in March 2023), advises clients on searches, new filings, assignments, mergers and defence strategies. Key support is provided by senior associates Nadya León, who currently leads the firm’s brand protection and intellectual property litigation area, and Susana Navarro, a specialist in industrial designs and utility models.

Arias pairs the experience of its team with the bench strength of seven offices throughout the region to advise household-name multinationals (including Honda, Philip Morris and Chevron) on the safeguarding and management of their international IP portfolios. The firm’s active client base span sectors ranging from oil and gas, tobacco and pharmaceuticals to transportation, cosmetics and building materials. In addition to IP due diligence on M&A transactions and advice on copyrights, data protection and health regulations, the team assists with such trade mark and patent matters as registrations, renewals, post-registration changes and high-stakes infringement actions. The practice is headed by Morena Zavaleta, who brings 25 years’ experience in the IP space to the group, and who serves as the firm’s regional director of IP and life sciences. She is supported by senior associate Marcela Canjura, who specialises in clearance searches, trade mark registration and enforcement.

Espino Nieto & Asociados leverages the experience of its intellectual property team to assist household-name clients (including Meta, Starbucks and PepsiCo) with data protection, franchising and a wide range of matters related to trade marks, patents and copyrights, including searches, renewals and high-stakes IP litigation. The practice is headed by managing partner Luis Miguel Espino and experienced arbitrator and new technologies expert Danilo Rodríguez. Key support at the associate level is proved by Fátima Castro, who brings strength to litigation related to industrial property, and David Cativo, who specialises in both IP and regulatory law.

Powered by the firm’s regional strength, the intellectual property group at García & Bodán coordinates with its other locations in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to advise such major multinationals as PepsiCo, Mattel and Kraft Heinz on the management and protection of their international trade mark, copyright and patent portfolios. Bolstered by the April 2024 arrival of new IP head Edna López, who held the same role at Mayora & Mayora, S.C., the practice has an active client roster spanning sectors ranging from food and beverages, education, retail and telecoms to entertainment, fashion and apparel. Team leader López brings extensive experience in administrative litigation and matters involving anti-counterfeiting, copyright and patents. Seasoned litigator and regional IP head Julio Vargas, who was recently appointed as managing partner of the firm’s Costa Rica office, specialises in health registrations and domain names matters. Key support is provided by senior associate Fermina Bolaños Meardi, who displays strength in patent and trade mark management and regulatory issues related to chemical, veterinary and hygienic products, and associate Rodrigo Benítez, who manages complex data protection issues.

Consortium Legal coordinates with the firm’s other regional offices in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to manage and safeguard the intellectual property portfolios of domestic, regional and multinational corporations across such sectors as pharmaceuticals, banking, retail, telecoms, manufacturing, cosmetics and energy. The firm’s full offering covers matters ranging from copyright, patents and trade marks to sanitary and pharmaceutical registrations and litigation. Suzanne de Tablas heads the team, drawing on extensive experience in the practice area to advise clients on border measures, trade mark nullification and cancellation for non-use, copyright infringement, licensing, franchise contracts and IP due diligence on corporate transactions. Key support is provided by senior associate Francisco Medrano, who handles trade mark proceedings before the Trademark Department of the Intellectual Property Registry of El Salvador and who brings strength to assisting with matters related to unfair competition and anti-piracy.

CENTRAL LAW El Salvador draws on the combined bench strength of offices in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic to advise major multinationals (including Porsche and Gucci) across the hospitality, fashion, food, automotive and telecoms sectors on the management, registration and safeguarding of their intellectual property portfolios. The practice is headed by a four-strong team: Sandra Cabezas, who brings strength to IP litigation and matters involving patents, copyrights, health regulations, franchising, licensing and consumer rights; experienced IP litigator and arbitrator José Manuel Argüello, who routinely assists companies in the food, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries; and associates Fernando Argumedo and Victor Rivas.

IP specialist Eproint draws on the bench strength of a network spanning Central America and the Caribbean to advise major multinationals (including Mercedes-Benz and Ferrero) on the management, expansion and protection of their international trade mark portfolios. The firm’s client roster spans sectors from pharmaceuticals, energy, banking and tech to beverages, entertainment, sports and fashion. In addition to IP litigation, due diligence and cybersecurity issues, the team’s comprehensive service covers a wide range of copyright, patent, trade mark and industrial design matters. The practice is led by Edy Guadalupe Portal, an IP sector expert with over 25 years of experience. The team is supported by senior associate Helen Menjivar, who specialises in anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting matters, and associate Rodrigo Velasco, who handles transactions involving new technologies.

The Salvadoran team at LatinAlliance El Salvador coordinates with offices in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Costa Rica to advise domestic and regional companies on the management and protection of their intellectual property portfolios, across such sectors as energy, retail, consumer products and pharmaceuticals. The firm’s full service covers matters involving trade mark oppositions, transfer contracts, licensing agreements, patents, cease and desist letters, and trade mark litigation related to cancellation for non-use. The practice is led by regional IP director Fabiola Torres, who also leads the firm’s innovation and development practice.

Torres Legal draws on the experience of its team to advise multinational and domestic businesses across sectors ranging from hospitality, beverages, professional services and cryptocurrency to pharmaceuticals and tourism on the safeguarding and management of their international IP portfolios. The practice is led by Rubén Rivas, also the head of the firm’s dispute resolution practice, who was promoted to partner in July 2023, and associate Paola Lambert, who arrived from LatinAlliance El Salvador in January 2024, and who advises clients on a broad spectrum of matters involving trade marks, trade names, advertising, copyrights, utility models and patents.