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Rodrigo Maior

Rodrigo Maior

Founding Partner

rodrigo.maior@lickslegal.com

+55 21 3550 3705

+55 21 99792 1810

Rodrigo Souto Maior is one of the founding partners at Licks Attorneys and is one of our leaders at the Rio de Janeiro office. He started his career nearly 20 years, working in high-stakes cases with his future partners at Licks Attorneys. He also gained experience acting as a Foreign Legal Consultant in the Washington, D.C. office of Steptoe & Johnson. His practice has been focusing on complex disputes, leading cases and consultancy regarding patent law, information technology, trade secrets and unfair competition.

Mr. Maior has extensive experience in representing and advising clients in a wide variety of intellectual property, internet and commercial disputes. He has litigated before various federal and state courts, in cases spanning several technologies that include pharmaceutical, information technology, metallurgical and telecommunications industries. He is best known for his expertise in litigating complex patent cases involving non-obviousness, for coordinating effective defense and counter-attack strategies for clients in different industries and for advising clients in regulatory matters involving disrupting technologies. Additionally, Mr. Maior is well versed in advising clients in trademark law, copyright and licensing/cross-licensing negotiations and matters involving technology transfer. Over the past few years, Mr. Maior and his team have implemented some of the most successful defense/counter-attack strategies in technology cases in Brazil.

He lectures and publishes on the latest developments in Brazilian patent law and litigation as a Constitutional Principles of Competition and Patent Law Professor at one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. In addition, he has received his law degree and an LL.M.in International Law from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Mr. Maior has also received an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from the George Washington University Law School, in the USA.

Languages
  • Portuguese
  • English
Practice Areas
  • Contracts
  • Copyright & Software
  • Cyber Security & Data Protection
  • Data Protection
  • Food & Drug Law
  • Government Contracts & Public Procurements
  • Intellectual Property
  • Internet & Software
  • Internet Privacy Law
  • Licensing
  • Litigation
  • Patents
  • Regulatory
  • Unfair Competition
Representative Cases
  • Led the team that secured the operations of Brazil’s first and leading insurtech. This 2016/2017 litigation was the first major case regarding the interrelations of TechLaw and Insurance Law in Brazil.
  • Led the team that secured the services of a top US-based e-hailing startup in Brazil, in nationwide litigation efforts including multiple defensive and offensive litigation strategies covering internet and transportation regulatory laws and criminal issues, in one of the highest profile legal Brazilian cases in 2015-2016;
  • Was one of the leading attorneys in the first case under the Brazilian Internet Bill of Rights (“Marco Civil”), assisting a major Silicon Valley start-up to have its app returned to the stores after an injunction ordered that the app be shut down in the country;
  • Represented a major European telecommunication infrastructure manufacturer in the patent dispute with the highest potential awards in Brazilian history;
  • Represented a major Chinese telecommunication infrastructure manufacturer in the defense against multiple patent infringement accusations, resulting in wins in criminal and civil procedures filed against the company and in the patent invalidly counter-attack filed on behalf of the client, which resulted in the invalidation of four patents;
  • Assisted a major Sweden-based industry in a trade-secret violation case, helping the company to lift an injunction and have the ceased products returned.
Professional Highlights
  • Leaders League - Civil and Commercial Litigation (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018);
  • Best Lawyers - ‘Recommended’ Intellectual Property Law (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020);
  • Análise Advocacia – Most Admired – Rio de Janeiro (2022, 2021,2020,2019);
  • Análise Advocacia – Most Admired – IP (2020,2019);
  • Análise Advocacia – Most Admired – Civil Law (2020);
  • LACCA ‘Approved’ Litigation (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020);
  • Leaders League – Technology (2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016);
  • IAM Patent 1000 - ‘Leading Expert’ (2022, 2021);
  • Leaders League - Civil and Commercial Litigation (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018);
  • Who’s Who Legal – Life Sciences (Patent Litigation): (2022);
  • The Legal 500 Latin America - ‘Tier 3 - Recommended’ IP Practice 2022;
  • Benchmark Litigation - ‘highly recommended’ IP (2021);
  • Benchmark Litigation – ‘Litigation Star’ (2020, 2019, 2018);
  • Análise Advocacia 500- ‘most admired’, Brazil (2021, 2020, 2019);
  • Benchmark Litigation – “is renowned for his role in implementing some of the most successful defense strategies in technology cases in Brazil.” (2019);
  • Leaders League – Patent Litigation (2019, 2018, 2017);
  • Leaders League – Trademark Litigation (2019, 2018);
  • Leaders League – Life Sciences (2019);
  • Spoke at NYSBA Brazil Chapter Breakfast Meeting about “Litigating Disruptive Innovation in Brazil”, Sao Paulo (Feb 2017);
  • Leaders League – IP Litigation (2016);
  • Professor of Constitutional Principles of IP and Competition, International Law, and of Patent Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) IP LL.M. program;
  • Spoke on Litigation of Technology and Internet at the Brazilian High-Tech Litigation: Law, Business and Policy seminar at the George Washington University Law School (USA);
  • Lectured in an event co-sponsored by the EMARF (Brazilian Federal Magistrate School) and the Max-Planck Institute about the TRIPS Agreement in Brazil (Nov 2015).
Affiliations
  • Brazilian Bar Association (OAB – RJ);
  • Brazilian Bar Association (OAB – SP);
  • Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI);
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA);
  • ITechLaw (International Technology Law Association)
Education
  • LL.M, Intellectual Property, George Washington University Law School (2011);
  • LL.M, International Law, State University of Rio de Janeiro (2009);
  • LL.B, State University of Rio de Janeiro (2004).
Publications
  • “Brazilian Patent Statute under attack: Second use inventions, polymorphs and inventive step (Part III)”, PREVAIL 004. May 2015.
  • “Post-grant review in Brazil: how statistics can help choosing the winning strategy”, PREVAIL 002. March 2015.
  • “The battle between public and private interest”, World Intellectual Property Review – WIPR, 2014. “Suspending IP rights”, World Intellectual Property Review – WIPR, 2010 “Evaluating Inventive Step”. WIPR, 2009.
  • Co-author of the leading book on non-obviousness in Brazil – “O CONTRIBUTO MÍNIMO NA PROPRIEDADE INTELECTUAL” (The minimum contribution requirement in Intellectual Property), 2010 (drafted a chapter comparing the non-obviousness requirement in the United States, Brazil, and Europe).
  • Author on the article “Evaluating Inventive Step”. WIPR. Sept-Oct 2009. • Author on the article “Brazilian - President’s Act provides for the suspension of IP rights”. GRUR Int. (2010).