ELZABURU is entering a new phase in which it has the resources to maintain its leadership in IP
Antonio Tavira has been appointed Chairman of ELZABURU, a position he will hold in addition to his role as CEO, a position he has held since 2009. The position became vacant following the death of Alberto Elzaburu last April.
A lawyer with a diploma in business administration from ICADE, he holds an EMBA from IESE and I, among other positions in organizations and associations in the legal and intellectual property fields, such as the EUIPO, ASIPI, ECTA, AIPPI, etc.
Tavira knows ELZABURU well—the firm where he began working in 1998 and where he has built a brilliant professional career and led the transformation of a family-owned business with more than 155 years of history into a modern firm specializing in intellectual and industrial property and information technology law. “ELZABURU is evolving from a family-owned firm structure toward a ‘partnership’ model, and this evolution has been driven at every step by the support and guidance of a truly legendary figure—our late Alberto de Elzaburu—who played a pivotal role in the history of industrial property in Spain and around the world.”
The firm, founded in 1865, has revamped its corporate image this year and adopted a new identity that symbolizes the company’s commitment to adapting to the new demands of a market undergoing constant technological and social change. “We have moved beyond our image as a trademark and patent agency to expand our services into a wide range of fields—including artificial intelligence, data protection and trade secret protection, the fight against piracy, the valuation of intangible assets, and audiovisual project management—and we have introduced new technological tools.”
And thanks to this technological upgrade, the company has been able to respond very effectively to the turbulent situation caused by the pandemic: “Technologically, we are at the forefront of legaltech with tools such as ‘Elzacloud,’ a platform that allows our clients to manage their portfolios online and that has played a very important role during these months of lockdown and ‘remote work’; we also have our own ‘chatbot,’ which answers many questions and helps filter initial inquiries from visitors to our website.”
How has this situation caused by the coronavirus affected the firm, and what will this fiscal year look like in terms of results?
Fortunately, our firm was very well prepared, and thanks to Elzacloud and other technological tools, our more than 160 professionals have been able to continue working at full capacity from the very first day of the state of emergency without any impact on our service. However, we have been following with understandable concern the difficult situation many of our clients are facing across a wide range of sectors: tourism, restaurants, retail, audiovisual production, manufacturing, and more. It is inevitable that this economic crisis will also affect law firms; although we have continued to maintain a high level of business activity, we will naturally see the impact on our revenue at the end of the fiscal year.
It’s too early to know how this year will turn out in terms of results, but there’s no doubt that we’ll all have to tighten our belts. However, our business is highly diversified in terms of clients: in fact, we work for one out of every three companies on the IBEX, and a significant portion of our revenue comes from international operations, so we hope to close out a difficult but respectable fiscal year.
What are Elzaburu's clients currently seeking in terms of trademark protection amid the coronavirus pandemic?
On the one hand, we must ensure maximum protection for portfolios by adapting them to economic realities, which requires us to be extremely efficient while providing a high level of advice. It is essential to have a deep understanding of our clients, who are at the heart of our business.
On the other hand, one of the trends we’ve been seeing most in recent months is everything related to cybersecurity; these months of lockdown have led to a rise in online intellectual property infringements. That is why we have expanded our monitoring services with a technology platform that, through big data and machine learning processes—as well as agreements with Google and social media platforms—allows us to immediately detect and remove counterfeits and misuse of trademarks, thereby better protecting our clients’ intangible assets.
Given the current situation, how do you see the future economic outlook?
It is clear that we must strengthen our financial structures to address all the contingencies that the pandemic will continue to bring; furthermore, we all have to adapt to a new office model in which remote work is set to play a decisive role. Cost containment and the savings we can generate will be essential. These are not times for celebration, and our goal is to have sufficient financial strength to weather these times.
As companies, we must act responsibly, knowing that society needs our help. That is why CSR will play a very important role in this new world that is taking shape. Only socially responsible companies will be able to survive: companies that show solidarity and empathize with their customers; companies that contribute to society to help overcome this crisis… We have long been aware that we must all work together to create a more sustainable world. I recently signed, along with 1,000 other CEOs from around the world, a declaration of renewed cooperation with the UN Global Compact to help institutions ensure peace and eradicate inequality.
I believe that difficult times lie ahead and that we will suffer, but I am certain that if businesses and institutions act in a socially responsible manner, we will be able to overcome this crisis and create a better world for everyone.