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Registered lawyer nº 84.457
I. Colegio de la Abogacía de Madrid
João Miranda de Sousa is the partner in charge of the Garrigues offices in Portugal.
He specializes in intellectual property law, and conducts his activity in both Spain and Portugal. He has more than 30 years’ experience in this area, part of which has been gained from notable positions he has held at the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
João is a leading lawyer, both in advising and defending businesses in industrial property, copyright and related rights and unfair competition disputes.
He holds a degree in law from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, which has been officially recognized in Spain. He also holds an Executive MBA from ESADE International Business School (Madrid) and is a guest lecturer on the Magister Lvcentinvs at Universidade de Alicante.
João has been recognized in his area of expertise by the main legal directories: Chambers & Partners (Eminent Practitioner in Spain and Portugal), World Trademark Review ("Gold" in Spain and Portugal), IAM Patent 1000 ("Gold" in Spain and Portugal), IP Stars (Managing IP) (Trademark Star in Portugal) and Best Lawyers.
Experience
João Miranda de Sousa has been a partner at Garrigues since 2008, and since then has been the global head of the Intellectual Property Department in Iberia. Since 2015, he has also been the partner in charge of the Garrigues offices in Portugal.
During the course of his professional career, João has participated in complex lawsuits: infringement of copyrights (e.g. software, television broadcasts), trademark infringement actions, designs and patents, unfair competition.
Some of the lawsuits in which he has participated have given rise to referrals for preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union which have formed the basis of key judgments by this Court [e.g.: Adega de Borba (C-629/17 - J. Portugal Ramos Vinhos), Cofemel (C-683/17 – Cofemel), RTL (C-716/20 RTL)].
He also has extensive experience in providing strategic advice to companies holding well-known trademarks, and especially with regard to the optimization of their trademark portfolios.
João also has vast experience in negotiating and drafting agreements and transactions involving intellectual property rights.
Apart from Portuguese and Spanish, he is also fluent in English, French, Italian and has a fair knowledge of German.
João has been a Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 1986, and is also a Member of the Madrid Bar Association and the INTA (International Trademark Association).
Academic background
- Executive MBA, ESADE International Business School (Madrid).
- PhD program in Administrative Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
- Attendance at the Master's Degree in Public Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon).
- Specialized Course in European Law, Centro de Documentação e Estudos Europeus in Porto.
- Degree in Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Porto), officially recognized in Spain.
Teaching activity
Guest lecturer on the Magister Lvcentinvs at Universidad de Alicante.
Adjunct lecturer at the Law Faculty of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Porto). Lecturer in several subjects in the area of administrative law and public economic law.
Frequent speaker at seminars and conferences organized by Garrigues and by various organizations and associations specializing in intellectual property (INTA, ECTA, IPO, MARQUES, APRAM, COAPI).
Memberships
- Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 1986.
- Member of the Madrid Bar Association since 2008.
- Member of the INTA (International Trademark Association) since 2008.
Distinctions
João has been singled out by the main legal directories in the areas he works in: Chambers & Partners, IP Stars, World Trademark Review, IAM 1000 Patent, Best Lawyers, and Client Choice.
- Chambers & Partners 2022: Eminent Practitioner in the area of intellectual property in Spain and in Portugal.
- World Trademark Review: "Gold" in Spain and Portugal
- IAM Patent 1000: "Gold" in Spain and Portugal
- IP Stars 2022: Trademark Star in Portugal.
- Best Lawyers: "Best Lawyer" in the area of intellectual property in Spain and Portugal
- João Miranda de Sousa received the Client Choice Awards in the area of intellectual property in 2017 and 2019 (Patents) in Portugal and in 2022 (Trademarks) in Spain.
- In 2020, he received the “The impact Case of the year in Portugal” award from Managing Intellectual Property (MIP).
- In 2008, he received the Business Outstanding Achievement Award from the same publication.
Publications
“Comentarios a los reglamentos sobre la marca comunitaria" (Observations on the Community trademark regulations). Pub. La Ley, Madrid, 2000
Author of various papers and publications, including articles published regularly in the World Trademark Review.