São Paulo – Law firm Souto Correa offers services of trademark and patent registration, franchise agreement, and anything involving an international business that exports goods and commodities from Brazil to the Arab countries and elsewhere. With 215 staff members and offices in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, and Porto Alegre, Souto Correa operates nationally and internationally, not just in consulting but in arbitration services, too. The firm is a member of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Attorney Raphael Jadão, a partner at Souto Correal, talked to ANBA about the services. “The consulting services we’ve provided for some exporting companies isn’t confined merely to trademark and patent registration but in franchising as well,” Jadão said. The main sectors that he serves among ABCC members are cosmetics, food and clothing companies.
The firm mainly operates with arbitration services in the United States, China, and the European Union. For the Arab countries, its strong suit are trademark and patent registration. The top Arab League countries the firm works with are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt.
Jadão explains the trademark and patent registration services involve previous research to identify if there’s an already registered trademark or patent of the same name in these countries. “It’s a full process from the research to the registration itself. Basically, it more comfort and reassurance for the client that there’s no plagiarism or copyright infringement involved, thus averting any legal problems,” he considered.
Regarding franchises, Jadão says the firm draws up a standard franchise contract that goes through a partner office in the country concerned to check if there’s any specific matter concerning the local law.
The procedures and contracts of the firm, he says, are always under the international trade rules put forth by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), the world’s main framework for international commerce. “It’s a treaty that establishes a uniform framework for selling goods, and since we’re talking exports, we follow CISG’s international law,” he explained.
The opposite process also occurs. The office works with foreign companies in need of consulting services to operate in Brazil. “We also serve them, as we have multiple foreign clients and work with many Arab companies in Qatar, the UAE, Egypt,” he said.
Jadão says the firm has an expertise in agribusiness, not just in cereals but in beef cattle and living cattle as well. “We offer consulting services for the entire export process, including product sale contracts, shipping companies, export insurance, Bill of Lading,” he pointed out, adding that they also analyze sale contracts, sea insurance, customs clearance, and other related services.
Souto Correa is a full-service law firm that brings together attorneys practicing in areas including labor, criminal, business law, environmental, corporate, and others, Jadão said. The firm is about to complete eight years old.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
