Present in Colombia since 1941, Lloreda Camacho & Co is a well-established corporate law firm with a strong IP department based in Bogota. Its IP group includes 10 professionals and four chemists. On the patent side, the firm handles the portfolios of such multinationals as Abbott Laboratories, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Exxon Mobil. Trade mark clients include Apple, Burger King, Charles Schwab, Citibank, Kraft Foods and Lady Gaga.
While the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors account for the bulk of the firm's patent practice, companies from the mining and oil sector have become a part of the firm's clientele in the last two years.
The firm secured a significant win for its client Abbott Laboratories in a patent infringement case. The defendant, Biotoscana, had requested a health registration to import and commercialise a product with the same composition as one of Abbott's patented products. Colombia's court of appeals upheld the lower court's decision that such a request is an imminent act of infringement. The case is precedent setting, since this is the first time that a second instance court in Colombia has ruled that the request for a health registration is clear evidence that the holder of such a registration is willing to commercialise a third party's patent-protected product.
The firm and its staff receive high praise from peers and clients alike. Head of litigation, Bernardo Salazar is described as "top notch" by one competitor, while another refers to IP head Alicia Lloreda and the "great work" she is doing at the firm.
"Alicia Lloreda is our primary adviser at the firm. She is backed by a strong team of lawyers, as well as with partners having special expertise in related areas," says one client.
"This is an excellent IP firm, always attentive and responsive to the client. I also have found Lloreda Camacho to be very efficient in their work and very knowledgeable of trade mark law," another client adds.