2024 speakers

Otto Licks is one of the founding partners at Licks Attorneys, a Brazilian law firm with over 300 people across five offices in Brazil and Japan. Otto is renowned for his expertise in complex litigation and policy making, with a 30-year track record of representing international clients in different sectors, such as technology (telecom, electronics, and internet) and life sciences (small molecules, biologicals, agrochemicals, and medical devices). He has established a reputation as a trial and appellate practice specialist, focusing on preliminary and permanent injunctions and monetisation strategies (damages and licensing), advising clients primarily on patents, trade secrets, unfair competition, regulatory data exclusivity, government procurement, drug law and new technologies. Otto has led numerous high-profile cases, going back to the first Brazilian nationwide adjudication campaign for patent monetization (optical CD-R disks) and to the portfolios covering erectile disfunction and HIV drugs in the late 90´s and early 2000s, including the fight against compulsory licenses. He filed the first cases on data package exclusivity and the first challenges against regulation in Brazil violating international treaties and patients’ rights to safe medicine. His strategic litigation has set precedents and shaped legal practices in Brazil. Before joining private practice, Otto worked as a UN/PINUD consultant for the Brazilian State Department, during the implementation of the WTO Agreements. Otto’s legal acumen is consistently recognised by esteemed publications. Client testimonials laud him for his ‘extremely intelligent, active, and scholarly’ attributes, recognising his ‘ability to secure successful injunctions on behalf of patrons’, and also noting him as ‘one of the most recognised IP lawyers in Brazil’.