José R Fermin is counsel at Bolet & Terrero. He has worked extensively in all branches of IP law. His practice focuses on IP protection, litigation, unfair competition and anti-counterfeiting, and he also has experience managing international trademark and patent portfolios.

He routinely advises clients regarding IP disputes and the protection of trademarks, patents and copyrights. In addition, he regularly represents clients in disputes before various state and federal courts on a wide range of issues, in addition to trademark and patent disputes before the Venezuela Patent and Trademark Office (VPTO).

Mr Fermin has been actively involved in the enforcement of trademark rights against counterfeiters across a wide range of goods; he has also contributed significantly to the new Venezuelan customs regulations and has written extensively on this subject. He is actively involved in the enforcement of copyrights against infringers.

Before joining Bolet & Terrero, Mr Fermin served as legal counsel at the VPTO for more than five years. During that period, he actively participated in the legislative reform to meet the requirements set out by the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and assisted in drafting the Industrial Property Law, which is pending approval.

Mr Fermin has collaborated with several international organisations, such as the International Trademark Association and the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property, where he is also actively involved in areas such as anticounterfeiting legislation, academic formation and the protection of rights holders. At present, he is chairman of the Venezuelan IP Agent Association and the Venezuela IP Academy.