How to Register a Trademark in Brazil

Operating commercially in any country comes with a desire to protect your brand and creative energy.

Registering a trademark in Brazil is a crucial step for businesses looking to establish their brand and protect their intellectual property in this vast and promising market. Registering a trademark in Brazil grants exclusive rights to use the mark, providing legal recourse against infringement. Additionally, registering a trademark in Brazil can enhance a company’s reputation and credibility, reassuring consumers of the authenticity and quality of their products or services.

Registering a trademark in Brazil also opens doors to a market of over 200 million people, making it a strategic move for expansion. Furthermore, registering a trademark in Brazil is relatively straightforward, with well-defined procedures and regulations in place to safeguard your brand. Moreover, registering a trademark in Brazil can deter competitors from using a similar mark, preserving your market share and ensuring customer loyalty.

In summary, registering a trademark in Brazil is a prudent and strategic decision for businesses aiming to establish a strong presence, protect their brand, and access a vast consumer base in this thriving South American nation.

In this article, we touch upon key aspects of registering a trademark in Brazil.

Where to register a trademark in Brazil

The governmental institution in charge of registering trademarks and granting patents is the National Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial, INPI) 

INPI protects your trademark in Brazil, giving the trademark validity for a period of 10 years. This period can be extended for the same amount of time indefinitely.

Key aspects to consider before registering your trademark

To register your trademark in Brazil, you must understand and comply with the Industrial Property Law. 

A trademark can only be registered if it is directly relevant to the business nature or activities. For foreign entities, it is necessary to have a legal representative in Brazil to undertake the trademark registration process. 

Additionally, before proceeding with the registration process, consult the list of prohibited items that can’t be registered. Article 124 of the Brazilian industrial property law outlines the list of prohibited items.

After confirming that you can register the trademark, you must then confirm that it’s available by conducting a trademark search in Brazil’s national database. You can check trademark availability on INPI’s database, this step is not mandatory but is strongly recommended as it may affect the evaluation of your petition. 

Make sure to act quickly once you know what you want to protect. The first application to be received by INPI has priority over applications submitted afterward. The trademark search in Brazil doesn’t take long and will ensure that the elements you want to protect are unique, and won’t be competing with others that have similar characteristics.   

Once you are sure that your trademark is available and that your product or service is compatible, determine the nature of the trademark. To register a trademark it is important to make a detailed description. The nature of your trademark can include a mixture of characteristics. Consult an expert to help you determine the exact nature of your product or service. 

Brazil classifies trademarks in the following way: 

• Scope of protection: Product or service
• An object of protection: Collective or certification
• According to its graphical representation: nominative, mixed, figurative or three-dimensional.

It is of the utmost importance to have an exact notion of the type of trademark you want, as this determines the type of protection it will receive.

Renewal Process

• Periodic declarations of use are not required.
• Third parties may attack a registered trademark on the basis of non-use.
• The first renewal date of your trademark will be 10 years after the date of approval of the registration.
• Subsequent renewals last for 10 years from the date of renewal of the registration.
• The grace period after the expiration of the renewal date is 6 months.

Steps to Register Your Trademark in Brazil

You can register your trademark over the internet or in person through the following process:

1. Register your trademark over the internet

To register your trademark online, you will need to create an account on INPI’ Union Collection Guide (Guia de Recolhimento da União, GRU).

There are two links to register an account in GRU, one for applications handled by legal representatives and the other for individuals who are handling their applications themselves. Be mindful that foreign entities must have a legal representative.

Once registered in GRU, you must issue and pay the Union Collection Guide (GRU), don’t forget to keep your assigned number of GRU, as it will be necessary for later steps.

2. Apply for your trademark over GRU

Next, you must submit an online form. Use your GRU account created before to access INPI’s e-marcas site. E-marcas is the electronic system utilized to register a trademark. There you will be able to fill and submit the electronic form that will ask for specific information including:

• the general information about your trademark and business application form
• GRU payment receipt
• digital image (if applicable)
• power of attorney (if applicable)
• regulation on use and other documents to support your application

Once your application is approved, you can proceed to obtain a certificate. The approximate fee for the GRU and the trademark certificate of 10-year validity is approximately US$372.50.

3. In-person procedure to register your trademark in Brazil

At INPI, fill out and submit the application form and pay the respective fee.  The information to submit is similar to that of the online application.

The overall calculated fee for an in-person procedure to register your trademark in Brazil is US$432.29. This includes the payment for the certificate if the trademark is granted. The payment for the certificate is only incurred once the trademark has been granted.

4. Evaluation process

Once your application has been filed, INPI will make it public for opposition files and claims for a period of 60 days. If there is no claim, examiners will check INPI’s database to confirm that there aren’t conflicts with other registered trademarks. If an opposition is filed, applicants should respond within 60 days. 

When the evaluation concludes a decision will be issued, track your application on INPI’s website and check the IP magazine.

Brazil is a member of WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) works to increase respect for intellectual property internationally. Brazil joined  WIPO’s International Trademark System in July of 2019 through the Madrid Protocol. The Madrid protocol facilitates Brazilian trademark protection in international markets.

This system entered into force this year and covers 80% of the world trade.  In this sense, exporters seeking to protect their brands can do so more easily in the countries registered under the Madrid Protocol. To protect a brand internationally using the Madrid Protocol, interested individuals can submit an application once they have already registered their brand in Brazil. This application should be submitted to INPI and they will forward it to WIPO for evaluation.

Common Asked Questions for Trademark Registration in Brazil

Based on our extensive experience these are the common questions and doubts of our clients when registering a trademark locally.

Register your trademark in Brazil through Biz Latin Hub

Entering the Brazilian market is exciting, but challenging. The country is open to innovation and offers great potential due to its vast population and economic reforms. However, there’s still a complex bureaucratic system that market entrants must navigate, and it helps to have an expert on hand.

To register your trademark in Brazil, find a trusted legal representative to guide you through the steps and required documentation. Your legal partner must have an in-depth understanding of Brazilian legislation to assist you with your trademark search in Brazil, and the subsequent registration process. 

At Biz Latin Hub, we have experienced local lawyers with vast experience helping businesses with company formation, legal representation, hiring services, and more. We’re experienced in supporting new and established businesses to apply for and obtain the trademarks they need to secure their brand and revenue.

For more information about how we can help, contact us now and get started.

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