PatriciaEstupiñán Barrantes
Partner at Fexlaw and Head of the Intellectual Property Practice. She twice served as Ecuador's National Director of Industrial Property and represented the country before WIPO.
Intellectual property with public-sector experience.
Patricia Estupiñán Barrantes is a Partner at Fexlaw and Head of the Intellectual Property Practice. She advises domestic and foreign companies on trademarks, patents, software, know-how, designs, artistic and literary works, audiovisual works, new technologies, franchises, licensing, distribution agreements and appellations of origin.
She handles trademark registration, the defense of any intellectual property asset against copying and counterfeiting, including pharmaceutical products, and litigation for unfair competition, advertising and consumer protection matters. She also handles intellectual property cases in criminal proceedings.
She previously worked at the Servicio Nacional de Aduana del Ecuador (SENAE, Ecuador's National Customs Service) and the Servicio Nacional de Derechos Intelectuales (SENADI, Ecuador's IP Office), where she was Director of Distinctive Signs and twice National Director of Industrial Property.
From SENAE and SENADI to Fexlaw.
- 012001 – 2003
Servicio Nacional de Aduana del Ecuador (SENAE)
Director and Legal Advisor, Quito Regional Sub-Directorate
- Handled foreign trade regulations and the analysis of trade agreements.
- Authorized tariffs and the tax exemption regime.
- 022003 – 2009
Servicio Nacional de Derechos Intelectuales (SENADI)
National Director of Industrial Property · Director of Distinctive Signs
- National Director of Industrial Property on two occasions (2003 and 2007): decided on and authorized the registration of patents, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, trade names and geographical indications.
- As Director of Distinctive Signs, conducted trademark analysis under Andean Community (CAN) Decision 486 and the WTO TRIPS Agreement.
- Attorney in the General Legal Directorate for Administrative Protection.
- 032019 – Present
Fexlaw Abogados
Partner · Head of the Intellectual Property Practice
- Leads the Intellectual Property and Anti-Piracy practice.
- Advises domestic and foreign companies on trademarks, patents, franchises, licensing and anti-counterfeiting defense.
Educated in the Americas and Europe.
- Law Degree and Doctor of JurisprudencePontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
- Postgraduate Degree in Intellectual PropertyUniversidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
- Master's in International Relations, specializing in International Negotiation and Conflict ManagementUniversidad Andina Simón Bolívar
- Professional internshipOficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM), Madrid
- Professional internshipUnited States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Studies in Human and Social Development TherapyITC, Quito
Author on intellectual property.
- Denominaciones de origen e indicaciones geográficas. Cacao de Arriba (2008). Published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
- La marca como activo intangible (2008). Published by SENADI.
- Posibilidades y limitaciones para el Ecuador en propiedad intelectual dentro del marco de las negociaciones internacionales (2009). Published by SENADI.
- Los desafíos de la propiedad intelectual en la era de la inteligencia artificial (2024). Published by the Cámara Ecuatoriano Británica and the Cámara de Comercio Ecuatoriano Americana.
Ecuador's negotiator before the world.
She represented Ecuador at several Diplomatic Conferences of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Switzerland and was the country's negotiator for the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. She was part of the negotiating team for the reform of Andean Community Decision 486 and for the CAN – European Union trade agreement, and has served on several occasions as an expert witness in industrial property. She is a guest speaker at national and international forums.
Patricia has been recognized by the world's most demanding legal rankings.
Negotiating is discovering what the other party truly wants and showing them a way to get it, while you get what you want.Favorite quote
Sports, reading and service.
A passionate athlete in track, cycling and swimming, an avid reader and a meditation practitioner. She enjoys hiking. She has served on the Board of Fundación Abuelitos de la Calle since 2009.
Languages: Spanish · English
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