Intellectual Property and Data Security
The pursuit and protection of intellectual property rights requires specialized know- how. Ferraiuoli is a multi-service law firm whose practice gives great emphasis to intellectual property matters. Ferraiuoli’s Intellectual Property Department is the leading intellectual property practice in Puerto Rico, according to Chambers & Partner’s Global and Latin America Guides since 2010. We represent companies from a wide range of industries including retail, music, consumer products, manufacturing, financial services, publishing, entertainment, computers, software and hardware, telecommunications, and the Internet. In addition to our Puerto Rico and U.S. based clients we have many clients in Latin America.
With the rise of digital crimes and cyber breaches, Ferraiuoli’s team of attorneys, including data privacy attorneys, have worked hands on with clients in financial, security, and logistic sectors in time-critical scenarios involving cyber breaches and financial crimes. By working side by side with data forensic partners, as well as the insurance team, Ferraiuoli has been able to provide prompt and comprehensive solutions when data liability and cyber breaches have occurred.
The patent application and prosecution process are a central element of Ferraiuoli’s IP work. In addition to obtaining patents, the firm provides a full range of portfolio- management services, which aid clients in keeping track of all due dates during the life of the patent and/or patent application thanks to our state-of-the-art IP docketing system. Ferraiuoli aids clients in deciding which inventions to patent, the countries in which patents should be sought, and the ways to further protect the investment in a patented invention. Ferraiuoli’s patent practice offers a full range of patent services to clients. Our services include preparation of patent search reports, preparation of freedom to operate reports, drafting of both US and PCT patent applications (the latter commonly referred to as “international patent applications”), drafting of responses to office actions, infringement analysis, patent license negotiations, and patent enforcement.
It should be noted that each of our patent attorneys has a degree in a technical field and are registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office. In addition, our attorneys regularly help counsel individuals and organizations in all phases of the patent process, including the identification and best mode of protection for the technology in question. Among the benefits of choosing Ferraiuoli as your representative is the fact that our team of patent attorneys is fluent in both English and Spanish; and that our prices are very competitive in comparison to other law firms in the United States. As such, Ferraiuoli represents a great option for clients from not only the United States, but also from Spanish speaking countries seeking to file patent applications internationally or in the US.
Ferraiuoli also has a Trademark practice group that provides a complete range of services, ensuring that clients secure and maintain the full scope of legal protection available to them. The firm offers clients a full range of trademark services including: search and registration, prosecution, and maintenance before the USPTO and Puerto Rico Department of State; licensing; infringement litigation (at state and federal courts); cybersquatting litigation; USPTO and Puerto Rico Department of State litigation, including opposition and cancellation proceedings; and domain name administrative proceedings, including cases under ICANN’s Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and similar policies. Ferraiuoli assists our clients with the registration of copyrights, over works of authorship, expediting applications, recording documents, performing title searches, and in all phases of litigation both at Puerto Rico and at the Federal levels. Ferraiuoli also renders opinions on copyrightability, fair use, infringement, ownership and title, foreign protection, and litigation. The firm also assists clients in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements involving copyrighted works, including licensing.
Corporate and Tax Matters
CORPORATE
Ferraiuoli´s corporate practice is one of Puerto Rico´s leading commercial and business practices, consistently providing a wholistic perspective on complex transactions with a strong results-oriented mindset ingrained in the ultimate work product. For close to 20 years, our corporate clients have looked to us to bring them a distinctively high degree of quality and transactional sophistication, all the while resolving their corporate legal challenges effectively.
Our corporate attorneys have a strong commitment to providing excellence, developing industry experience and creating new strategic approaches that have enabled us to bring clear commercial judgment to every matter. Our corporate department has consistently drawn on the strength of our culture and structure to deliver the best of our firm to every transaction through true collaboration.
Our corporate attorneys continue to bring practical judgment, innovation and a broad perspective to their counseling to boards and board committees, senior management and internal legal and compliance departments in the high-stakes and time-sensitive arena of disclosure, corporate governance and compliance. We routinely counsel companies on day-to-day challenges and are well-positioned to respond rapidly and effectively to special challenges.
Leveraging our industry-leading legal talent in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and securities law, we build teams that address the unique transactional and operational issues clients face. This cross-disciplinary approach combines best practices and practical judgement to help clients.
Our corporate team thrives amid the challenge of intricate and complex situations. With innovative perspectives and commercial awareness, we look at situations from all practical angles and manage all aspects of a deal, not just the legal intricacies. Ferraiuoli’s corporate group adeptly guides its clients to desirable outcomes across a broad spectrum of industries and geographies, including a full range of cross-border and contested transactions.
With the continued increase in private equity developments in the global stage, our corporate department has kept developing dynamic industry standards, and our practice has grown and evolved to keep up the pace. Our lawyers assist private equity firms through the full life-cycle of private equity investment, from initial negotiation, structuring, formation and fundraising through growth equity transactions, leveraged buyouts, going-private transactions, and recapitalizations, to dispositions and exits.
Tax and Economic Incentives
Ferraiuoli’s Tax Department is one of the best in terms of technical skill, client focus, responsiveness, and collaborative approach. Our best‑in‑class lawyers bring extensive legal knowledge, sound business judgment and the highest ethical standards to our clients’ most complex tax challenges. We pride ourselves on communicating clearly, tailoring advice appropriately and executing transactions efficiently.
Our attorneys have been deeply involved in the design, documentation, and implementation of tax and corporate structures for our clients, allowing them to minimize costs, benefit from tax incentives and credits, and confidently expand their operations into other markets. We have also assisted numerous high net worth individuals in their personal tax, succession, and asset protection planning.
In a constantly evolving business environment, the pace of change has made the efficient management of a business and understanding of the big picture and tax impact more complex than ever. Ferraiuoli’s Tax Department has consistently been able to navigate the ever-shifting regulatory landscape including managing tax uncertainty, the increasing demands for transparency, changes in the digital economy and planning for changes in US Tax Policy. We have continually provided an integrated approach to help our clients make tax decisions with increased confidence, identifying new value and aiding them to execute on opportunities that advance their business overall.
In recent times, our Tax Department has grown as one of the top advisers for private equity transactions, assisting investors on the formation of and investment in private equity funds across various investment strategies. We represent the full range of investors, from first-time investors to the longest established investment firms in Puerto Rico.
In parallel, we remain a leader on the tax exemption, tax credits and economic incentives field, assisting niche manufacturers, bio-pharma and medical device clients, IT and energy ventures, specialized export service providers, R&D and other innovative operations with incentives eligibility analyses, negotiations, and tax grant compliance matters, with the ultimate goal of maximizing available incentives to strengthen local operations.
Our tax practice has become a linchpin in the comprehensive range of services that Ferraiuoli provides, and we are among a handful of firms with a truly comprehensive tax practice that can assist clients with all aspects of their tax-related matters.
