Our history and values
Our professional activity dates back from 1938 and it's based on a deep understanding of the IP Law and all that it revolves on.
The Patent Act of 1790 was the first patent statute passed by the federal government of the United States. It was enacted on April 10, 1790, about one year after the constitution was ratified and a new government was organized. The law was concise, defining the subject matter of a U.S. patent as “any useful art, manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any improvement there on not before known or used.” It granted the applicant the "sole and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, using and vending to others to be used" of his invention.
The Portuguese legislation on Industrial Property dates back to 1837 and 1852. Subsequent diplomas of 1892 and 1894 have eliminated some gaps in previous legislation, complying with commitments established in the Paris Convention, that Portugal signed in March 1883.
The Paris Convention of 1883 gave rise to the so-called International System of Industrial Property, and was the first attempt at an international harmonization of the different national legal systems relating to Industrial Property. Portugal signed the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property on 20 March 1883. This Convention became known as the Paris Convention.
Following a campaign by French writer Victor Hugo and his Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is agreed. The aim is to give creators the right to control and receive payment for their creative works on an international level.
With the adoption of the Madrid Agreement, the first international IP filing service is launched: the Madrid System for the international registration of marks. In the decades that follow, a full spectrum of international IP services will emerge under the auspices of what will later become WIPO.
The two secretariats set up to administer the Paris and Berne Conventions combine to form WIPO's immediate predecessor, the United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property – best known by its French acronym, BIRPI. The organization, with a staff of seven, is based in Berne, Switzerland.
Afonso D'Ornellas, future patron in the assembly of the firm that is to be founded by Gastão da Cunha Ferreira, is named as Trademark and Patent Agent (prior designation of Official Patent and Trademark Attorney).
Afonso D'Ornellas is on this year accepted as a foreign member of the Association Française de Ingénieurs Conseils.
On this date, Gastão da Cunha Ferreira is certified as a Member of the Institute of Trademark Agents, in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, chartered in 2016, the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) is a professional membership organisation with the power to shape law and practice – nationally and internationally.
The year of the establishment and opening of the Intellectual Property Consulting firm Gastão da Cunha Ferreira Unipessoal, founded by Gastão da Cunha Ferreira. With the support of Afonso D'Ornellas, Gastão da Cunha Ferreira decides to create his independent firm for consultancy in Intellectual Property matters.
The Industrial Property Code of 1940 was approved by the Decree No. 30 679 of the 24th August, 1940.
Afonso D'Ornellas is on this year accepted as a foreign member of The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents.
The Nice Classification of Goods and Services or the Nice Agreement was an international agreement concluded on the 15th June of 1957 at the Nice Diplomatic Conference. This agreement was revised in Stockholm on the 14th July of 1967 and in Geneva on the 13th May of 1977.
The Lisbon Agreement of the 31st October of 1958 was concluded to allow for the international registration of Appellations of Origin. Any of the signatory countries to the Paris Convention may participate.
The Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) comes into force and BIRPI is thus transformed to become WIPO. The newly established WIPO is a member state-led, intergovernmental organization, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Gastão da Cunha Ferreira is accepted as a member of the American Society of International Law. Since its founding in 1906, the American Society of International Law has been the pre-eminent scholarly society in the international law field. For more than a century, its publications, conferences, and research and educational programs have advanced the study and use of international law as a cornerstone of a just and peaceful world.
On the 5th October 1973, after more than 20 years of negotiations and debate, 16 countries sign the European Patent Convention in Munich, Germany.
The evolution of Gastão da Cunha Ferreira as a sole proprietorship for a Limited Liability Company takes place in 1976. Despite this change in its organization, the firm remains a family structure.
Created in 1976 by the Ministry of Foreign Trade, through Decree-Law no. 632, INPI (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial) had as its main objective the promotion of competitiveness through innovation.
The EPO first opens the doors at its temporary headquarters in the rented Motorama building in Munich on 2nd of November of 1977.
The PCT international patent system begins operation. The PCT expands rapidly to become WIPO's largest international IP filing system today.
After a lifetime dedicated to the study of Intellectual Property, and to which he contributed as personal practitioner or through various associations to which he belonged, 1982 was the year of the passing of the founder of our firm, Gastão da Cunha Ferreira.
Maria Luiza Caraça da Cunha Ferreira Moniz Pereira, daughter of our founder Gastão da Cunha Ferreira, now holds the exclusive ownership of Gastão da Cunha Ferreira, Lda.
With the change in ownership of the firm, Mr. Manuel Gomes Moniz Pereira, son in law of the founder Gastão da Cunha Ferreira, is appointed as Manager.
In 1991, the first computer for handling matters in the office was installed. In a constant attempt to innovate and improve the services provided, the firm Gastão Cunha Ferreira began to implement and use computer solutions to handle their processes.
The Office for the Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) was created as a decentralised agency of the European Union to offer IP rights protection to businesses and innovators across the European Union (EU) and beyond. Since its foundation in 1994 it has been based in Alicante, Spain.
We update our corporate identity and the way we communicate with our customers and partners.
Preparing for the future of the firm and its succession, the year 1998 marks the change in the company's statutes, in which it is now owned by the four grandchildren of the founder.
The firm Gastão Cunha Ferreira is recognized by IAPMEI, Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation as SME Excellence.
Accompanying the most recent trends in Information Technology, the firm Gastão Cunha Ferreira launched the first version of its website in 2001, being one of the first companies in the IP field to make itself known through the internet.
2003 is the year of publication of the new Industrial Property Code. This new code has undergone quite significant updates, and is still the current code in use. It came into force upon the aproval of the Decree-Law no. 36/2003 of 05/03.
In 2005, the management of the firm was assumed by Ms. Isabel Moniz Pereira.
Maria Luiza Cunha Ferreira Moniz Pereira, partner of the firm and daughter of the founder, passed away on 14th August of 2008.
In an attempt to convey the firms values to the clients and partners with which the it collaborates, the corporate image has been renewed. The logo is now accompanied by a distinguished gentleman wearing an umbrella, a timeless invention still used today, and synonymous with protection and safety. This is, to this day, the corporate image used by the firm.
After a period of renewal of the headquarters building, the firm returns to its initial location, after a hiatus of about 2 years. The address is also updated to Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 4.
After 28 years of leading the firms activity, the year of 2016 is marked by the passing of Eng. Manuel Gomes Moniz Pereira.
2017 was marked by a change in the management structure, which was assumed by Mr. Pedro Moniz Pereira and Mr. Manuel Bastos Moniz Pereira, respectively grandson and great-grandson of the founder of the firm Mr. Gastão da Cunha Ferreira.
2018 marks the 80th anniversary of the firm. To emphasize the occasion, a small reference to the fact was included in the main company logo, which will be used until the end of the year.
In 2021, Gastão Cunha Ferreira strengthened its language services offer by acquiring the business of Letrário Translation Services, a company specialized in language services for over 30 years.
In 2021, Gastão Cunha Ferreira strengthened its language services offer by acquiring the business of Letrário Translation Services, a company specialized in language services for over 30 years.