Silva is a leading IP firm in Chile, originally founded in 1990 by Patricio and Juan Pablo Silva. It sees intellectual property as key for the integral development of the country, with its purpose of protecting and enhancing creativity and innovation. The firm has actively participated in major milestones of change both practically and legislatively: driving the establishment and operation of the dispute settlement system of the Network Information Centre of Chile, implementation of electronic signatures, protection of geographical indications and designations of origin and the legal defence of infractions committed by technological means. Silva has a multidisciplinary and expert-level team, prepared to deal with every client’s needs. The attorneys are opinion leaders who are frequently consulted on IP issues by the media as well as by governmental entities. It also has a strong enforcement department that conducts civil, criminal and administrative actions related to intellectual property and issues related to new technologies.
Regarding the department’s international experience, a key strength for Silva is its experience in managing international clients’ portfolios across Latin America and domestic clients’ IP rights across the world. The firm defends its clients’ interest in each stage of administrative and judicial actions, both in Chile and abroad. The firms’ international network embraces specialised and prestigious firms, enabling the firm to act on behalf of its clients anywhere.
A distinguishing factor has been the development of Silvanet, unique legal software that manages and coordinates all facets of IP work, from instructions to docketing to production and invoicing. The comprehensive system integrates data from government entities to ensure quick and automated responses. It also allows clients to access and examine their own IP assets directly.
Main areas of practice
The firm’s practice areas are related to the core of intellectual property:
- trademarks – where a wide range of industries, companies and individuals entrust the protection of their brands;
- patents – with an expert team of scientists and engineers working together with attorneys to become one of the most effective patent practices in Chile, already representing 80% of Chilean universities;
- copyright – including protection for software, databases and websites, in addition to traditional works of novelists and filmmakers;
- regulatory – guiding clients to adherence and compliance with rules and formalities of various government agencies and authorities, but also assisting rights holders to make use of their intellectual property in the marketplace by providing strategies and legal advice;
- enforcement and litigation – consistently achieving desired outcomes based on the team’s knowledge and experience;
- corporate and transactional intellectual property – providing consulting and legal services allowing IP rights holders to exploit their rights in Chile in a manner that protects and preserves clients’ best interests;
- information technology – providing services in domains and cybersecurity, along with a continued commitment to influencing legislation in favour of clients’ needs;
- entertainment, media and sports – protecting those talents who make it big, for the dreamers on their way to join them and for the companies and conglomerates that distribute the work of actors, musicians, athletes and entertainers; and
- privacy, data protection and access to public information – with an expert team of lawyers ready to plan, audit and draft privacy and general data protection policies for our clients, according to both national and international legal standards. Through a detailed mapping of the corporate process, we outline regulations, contracts and policies related to personal data processing.
Clients
Silva advises major national and international food and beverage, FMCG, finance, telecom, pharmaceutical, commerce and industrial companies, among others.
Languages
Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese.