IPO attaché in Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC)
The below provides guidance and helpful information on the IPO's attaché based in LATAC
Introduction
Angélica Garcia is the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) attaché based in São Paulo, Brazil.
How I can help
I can help to:
- provide expert guidance on regional IP legislation
- share Brazil Country IP Guides
- highlight strategic advantages of the Brazilian IP system
- help you engage with Brazilian government on complex IP issues
- support legislative engagement strategies
- develop cross-sector initiatives in cybercrime and artificial intelligence (AI)
- promote joint mechanisms for resolving Market Access Barriers (MABs)
- coordinate with law enforcement on counterfeit and piracy issues
- organize joint IP events with International partners
- support Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) initiatives
- share best practices with Brazilian authorities
- establish dialogues with the Brazilian government and influence important plans for the UK
- intelligence and information about IP and multilateral fora, such as World Trade Organisation (WTO) and IPO
How I can be contacted
Email askinternational@ipo.gov.uk and I will respond to your query within 10 working days.
Advice for UK exporters
UK businesses looking to export to Brazil should prioritize understanding the local IP landscape early on. Brazil offers strategic advantages such as expedited patent processing and discounts for SMEs and green technologies, but also presents challenges like piracy, politicized IP enforcement and regulatory complexity. Leveraging the UK IPO Attaché Programme, exporters can access expert guidance, build relationships with important Brazilian institutions, and ensure their IP assets are protected. This proactive approach not only safeguards innovation but also unlocks long-term commercial opportunities in one of Latin America’s most influential markets.
Attractiveness for UK businesses exporting to LATAC
The UK’s 2025 Trade Strategy identifies Brazil as a “Regional Hub” – a market with outsized influence in Latin America and a gateway to broader regional engagement. This designation reflects Brazil’s growing leadership in digital trade, clean energy, and services, and positions it as a priority for deeper bilateral cooperation. Emerging markets and developing economies are now the engine of global growth. Their share of global GDP has doubled from 21% in 2000 to 42% in 2023 and is forecast to reach 44% by 2030. LATAC, with its expanding middle class, digital transformation, and resource-rich economies, offers long-term opportunities for UK businesses seeking growth, diversification, and resilience.
Moreover, the UK’s support has helped shape regulatory frameworks in Brazil that now benefit UK exporters, particularly in clean energy sectors.
The flow outlined in the UK Trade Strategy mirrors the IPO’s working model in LATAC:
UK-led workshops, New regulation introduced, Export opportunities unlocked.
Brazil is now estimated to be worth £10s of millions to UK businesses over five years, aligned with these new frameworks.
This work is a prime example of commercial diplomacy – the intersection of international relations and international business. The UK’s overseas network, including the IPO Attaché Programme, is a critical asset in this effort and was highlighted in the Trade Strategy. It enables seamless collaboration on cross-cutting themes like clean energy and digital trade, while also providing focused sectoral support.
Typical issues to be aware of
The global trading system is in flux, with rising protectionism, weakened multilateral institutions, and increasing geopolitical tensions. In LATAC, these pressures often manifest in defensive IP policies – where populist governments may challenge copyright and patent protections under the banner of access and affordability. This makes the UK IPO’s presence in Brazil not just valuable, but essential.
Through its Attaché Programme, the IPO is embedded within the UK’s diplomatic network, working in close coordination with His Majesty’s Trade Commissioners, Ambassadors, and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) teams. This integrated model enables the UK to provide focused, sectoral support – ensuring that IP policy, enforcement, and market access efforts are aligned with broader trade and industrial goals.
The IPO’s work in Brazil helps UK businesses navigate turbulent regulatory waters, maintain legal certainty, and protect their assets in a region where IP frameworks are often politicised. It also supports the UK’s broader resilience plan: ensuring the safe and reliable movement of goods, services, and capital across borders, even amid disruptions such as political instability, cyber threats, and IP theft, counterfeiting and piracy. This strategy is not operating in isolation. It complements the UK’s industrial strategy and upcoming Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) growth strategy, forming a triad of interlocking frameworks designed to strengthen UK businesses at home and ensure their success abroad. The IPO’s role in LATAC is a direct expression of this ambition, helping UK firms survive and thrive in a rapidly evolving global landscape.