In 1889, Dr. Thomas A. Le Breton, being then 21 years old and a student in the Faculty of Law of Buenos Aires, agreed with other fellow students to organize an office, in order that each of them might specialize in some branch of administrative law. The then student Le Breton chose matters connected with industrial property, a subject for which he had a vocation, since years afterwards, when graduating as a LL.D., the argument of his thesis was «Letters Patent».
As happens in all youthful plans, before long, there occurred desertions, which, however, did not affect the qualities of perseverance of our founder, who continued to organize his office of industrial property. On obtaining the degree of lawyer, in 1891, Dr. Le Breton proposed to his friend and fellow student Bartolomew R. Obligado α subdivision of tasks: Dr. Le Breton would undertake the management of the office of Industrial Property, which bore his name, and Mr. Obligado would take in charge the Agency of Letters Patent and Trade Marks, both remaining associated. To improve the organization of their undertaking, they moved their offices to Bartolomé Mitre, Street 343, an address at which our firm remained for 40 years, up to the moment when its constant progress obliged us to move to a bigger office.
In the year 1900, Dr. Le Breton started the review “Patents and Trademarks”, dedicating it exclusively to everything relating to industrial and intellectual property. Since then, it appeared without interruption under the direction of this law firm for more than 50 years.
Since then (1891) until Mr. Obligado’s death, in 1927, the hearty friendship between the two partners continued, without the tranquility of their relations ever being troubled. Dr. Le Breton was called by his country to occupy the highest positions; Mr. Obligado, on the other hand, devoted himself to commercial life, less brilliant but equally intense.
The eminent public career of Dr. Le Breton little by little obliged him to withdraw from business, which he left wholly in charge of Mr. Obligado, up to the moment when, upon the decease of this gentleman, our firm was changed into a jointstock company, the management of the house passing to the former collaborators of Dr. Le Breton and Mr. Obligado. The aforesaid transformation was due to the prevision of Dr. Le Breton, who, taught by the lamented disappearance of Mr. Obligado, decided to give legal status to our entity, in order that the style of our firm might continue always the same. This has allowed us to give absolute stability to the powers of attorney which our customers confer on us; and so they can be represented permanently in all the steps concerning industrial property.
For his part, Dr. Juan Federico Aulmann was born on April 30, 1914 in Las Flores, Province of Santa Fé, where he lived throughout his childhood. His parents, both of German nationality, instilled in him from his childhood solid principles of righteousness and devotion to work, which accompanied him throughout his life. He studied at the «Mariano Moreno» National School, and he obtained his law degree at the University of Buenos Aires, in 1945. In 1961, he achieved a Phd in Law and Jurisprudence, with his doctoral thesis on «Plant Patents». In 1947, he joined Obligado & Cia. Mr. Aulmann dedicated his life to this law firm, in which he developed his profession, becoming its owner and leading the firm until his death.
Upon his unfortunate death, his sons Federico Augusto Aulmann and Juan Martin Aulmann took charge of the Obligado & Cia. Currently, they are the ones who preside over it, with the same dedication and responsibility as their predecessors.
