Keeping you up to date with the latest developments of the LESI America’s Committee, an LESI Regional Committee. Within these pages of the website you can find out more about the activities of the LESI America’s Committee.

Mission

The America’s Committee mission is to liaise with LES national societies in the Americas to help them align and grow, to increase communication and cooperation, to support the organization of local events, to organize multinational programs to increase industry participation, to increase LES awareness in the Americas and to increase LES members, to identify and support opportunities to grow local economies through licensing and collaboration, to maintain and provide information on intellectual property and licensing law and practical experience in the Americas, and to assist in providing speakers and programs to LESI and national societies outside the Americas.

The Committee

Chairs

Robert Gruetzmacher (LES USA/Canada)

Robert Gruetzmacher is Director of Technology Commercialization, Physical Sciences and Engineering at Rutgers University.  His responsibilities include managing & marketing of IP and technology in those sectors, as well as building and maintaining relationships with companies and other universities.  A past Director of Technology Commercialization in DuPont's Center for Collaborative Research and Education, Robert is the owner and president of TechIAConnect and Associates and a Certified Licensing Professional.

Juliana Viegas (LES Brazil)

Juliana L.B. Viegas has been a partner of the law firm Trench, Rossi & Watanabe Advogados / Baker & McKenzie for many years, and now, upon her retirement, is an "of counsel" of the same office, specializing in intellectual property matters, licensing, technology transfer, copyrights and franchising.  A three term President and Member of the Board of the Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property ("ABPI"),  Juliana also serves on the Board of the State of São Paulo Association of Intellectual Property and has lectured extensively on IP licensing and tech transfer contracts.

Vice-Chairs

Marcela de Souza (LES Brazil)

Marcela T. de Souza is an associate in the Patent and Food and Drug Litigation Group at Momsen, Leonardos & Cia., working primarily in the areas of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.  Her practice concentrates on patent litigation and related areas, patent transactions and licensing.  Ms. Souza graduated in Law from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UERJ; has an LL.M. in Intellectual Property from The George Washington University Law School, and a Masters Degree in Civil Procedure Law from UERJ.

Gustavo Giay (LES Argentina)

Gustavo Giay is a partner of Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal.  He specializes in Intellectual Property. He graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 1994 with a concentration in business economics and in 1997 he earned his LLM degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.  In 2002 he completed a postgraduate course on Intellectual Property at the Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires. He is a licensed Intellectual Property Agent.

Other Committee Officers:

Secretary: Imelda Oropeza (LES USA/Canada)
Programs Director: Tatiana Campello Lopes (LES Brazil)
Website Coordinator: Fernando Becerril (LES Mexico)

Contact the Committee

For questions, queries and more information about the committee, members should contact:

Juliana Viegas
Marcela de Souza

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Latin America Innovation Tour 2008