A history dedicated to intellectual property.

Legal tradition, contemporary vision.

Luiz Leonardos & Advogados combines the expertise and capabilities acquired over more than 100 years of dedicated work in IP in Brazil with the advantages of a new, more efficient structure and a more personal approach to client interaction.

Luiz Leonardos & Advogados is one of the two successor firms of Momsen, Leonardos & Cia — founded in 1919 — after its split on April 30, 2012. We have experienced professionals dedicated to all areas related to intellectual property. Our goal is to serve our clients with efficiency and rationalized costs, meeting the demands of today’s market. Legal excellence and solid ethical conduct were principles that guided Momsen, Leonardos & Cia throughout nearly a century of practice, and Luiz Leonardos & Advogados is the natural heir to this legacy.

The history of Luiz Leonardos & Advogados begins with the arrival of Richard P. Momsen in Brazil in 1913. Coming from the United States, he worked with the American government and helped establish the Brazil-United States Chamber of Commerce in 1916. Three years later, he founded his first law office in the city of Rio de Janeiro. He later partnered with Simeon W. Harris, a descendant of American immigrants who came to Brazil after the American Civil War. Twelve years later, Thomas Othon Leonardos, of Greek descent, joined them, and in 1944 the firm adopted the name Momsen, Leonardos & Cia.

At the end of the 1950s, Luiz Leonardos, the only lawyer son of Thomas Othon Leonardos, became a partner at the firm. Luiz Leonardos stood out in the field of Intellectual Property, participating in the Brazilian delegation at the Stockholm Conference of the Paris and Berne Conventions, when WIPO was created. He has been active in the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI) since 1964 — the year of its foundation — serving as General Rapporteur, President, and member of the Board of Directors, and was appointed Honorary President of ABPI. In 1992, he became Executive Vice-President of AIPPI — the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property — until 1995, when he became Executive President until 1998. He was later appointed Honorary Member of AIPPI and is also an Honorary Member of Fédération Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Intellectuelle (FICPI) — the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys.

During the 1980s, attorney Gustavo Leonardos, son of Luiz and grandson of Thomas, joined Momsen, Leonardos & Cia., beginning his work in the Trademark Department. After earning his master’s degree from George Washington University, Gustavo worked for the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, was active in the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI), the Brazilian group of AIPPI, becoming President in 2004 until 2007, and held prominent positions in AIPPI, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property — ASIPI — and the National Council for Combating Piracy (CNCP) of the Ministry of Justice. In 2007, Gustavo received the EMERJ Medal from the School of Magistracy of Rio de Janeiro for the relevance of his services to legal culture and Brazilian society.

The experience acquired by Luiz and Gustavo Leonardos in the field of intellectual property enabled the formation of a highly qualified team, including partners and professionals from the former Momsen firm, making Luiz Leonardos & Advogados one of Brazil’s prominent intellectual property law firms today.

Our team of engineers, biologists, lawyers, and industrial property agents is characterized by long-standing experience across all branches of intellectual property, including work before the INPI in trademarks, patents, industrial designs, negotiation and evaluation of contracts, licensing, registration, and consulting in software, domain names, copyright, and other areas.