High renown of the trademark SEBRAE is recognized

With the assistance of our firm, the non-profit private entity SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service) had the high renown of its trademark SEBRAE declared last week. 

The special status is granted by the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BTO) after a thorough analysis of evidence that a particular trademark has surpassed its original scope of protection due to its high distinctiveness and significant recognition in the market. Thus, the trademark SEBRAE has joined a select group of just over 100 trademarks recognized by BTO as high renown trademarks. 

Due to the level of recognition achieved, high renown trademarks receive a different treatment compared to regular registered trademarks, being protected for a period of 10 years in all fields of activity. The extensive protection aims to prevent parasitic use by third parties and the dilution of the distinctive power of trademarks that have reached this status. 

Among the documents submitted by our firm to support the high renown request, there was a public opinion survey conducted by the company KG CESÁRIO, which concluded that 97.9% of the interviewees spontaneously recognized the trademark SEBRAE, equivalent to the recognition by more than 161 million Brazilians aged 16 and over.  

For over 50 years, SEBRAE has played a fundamental role in promoting and developing entrepreneurship in Brazil. The successful partnership with our firm further strengthened the position and credibility of the trademark SEBRAE, consolidating it as a reference in its segment. 

“The recognition of the high renown by the BTO only confirmed something we already knew: the trademark SEBRAE is present in the minds and hearts of Brazilians, even those who are not entrepreneurs, given its importance to the country – it is impossible for someone to say they do not know SEBRAE,” says associate attorney Isadora Lima, who worked on the high renown request. 

Andrea Possinhas, senior partner of the firm and responsible for the Intellectual Property and Trademark areas, states: “We are extremely happy for the recognition of the high renown of the trademark SEBRAE. This achievement is a testament to our commitment to excellence and the strong partnership we have established with SEBRAE, one of the entities that stimulates entrepreneurship the most in Brazil.” 

For SEBRAE President Décio Lima, this new achievement crowns the work that the institution has been carrying out for 51 years in the defense of entrepreneurship and small business owners in the country. “In the first half of this year, we had already been recognized as the sixth strongest brand in Brazil, according to the Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) ranking. Now, with the title of high renown granted by the BTO, we have reached a new level of credibility. This is a source of great pride but also a huge responsibility.”