Practice Areas
One firm, one point of contact, for the whole European life of your marks — from clearance to the courtroom. Below, each practice area explained the way it maps onto U.S. practice.
Availability searches and risk assessments before you commit to a name in Europe, then filing and prosecution before the EUIPO (one registration covering all 27 EU member states) and the INPI (France). We advise on the classic strategic questions U.S. filers face: EU trademark vs. national filings, word mark vs. logo, how to draft a specification that survives European examination, and how European "absolute grounds" practice on descriptiveness differs from USPTO practice.
For U.S. portfolios extending internationally, we handle EU and French designations of Madrid Protocol registrations, respond to provisional refusals, and act as local representative where the offices require one. We also advise on when a direct EUIPO filing beats a Madrid designation — a question with real cost and enforcement consequences.
The European counterpart of TTAB practice, and the core of the firm's contentious work: opposition proceedings against conflicting applications, cancellation actions (invalidity), and revocation for non-use, before both the EUIPO and the INPI — on the attacking or the defending side. This includes proof-of-use battles, reputation-based claims (the EU cousin of dilution), and appeals to the EUIPO Boards of Appeal and beyond, up to the EU General Court.
Infringement and unfair-competition actions before the French courts — including the Paris Judicial Court, which has exclusive jurisdiction over EU trademark litigation in France. Preliminary injunctions, seizure-style evidence measures (saisie-contrefaçon, a powerful French discovery tool with no direct U.S. equivalent), damages actions, and defense work. We plead in French; you get the strategy and the reporting in English.
Customs surveillance applications (EU and French), cease-and-desist campaigns, domain-name disputes, marketplace takedowns and coordinated enforcement programs — calibrated to the commercial reality of each brand rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol.
For U.S. companies launching in the EU: portfolio audits, chain-of-title clean-up, license and coexistence agreements under French and EU law, and freedom-to-operate reviews — the groundwork that avoids the expensive version of these questions later.
Detailed, procedure-by-procedure guides to trademark protection in France and the EU, written for U.S. readers.
How US companies register a trademark in France: INPI filing steps, timeline, official fees from €190, opposition window, and why a French mark matters.
One EUIPO filing protects all 27 EU member states. Process, official fees from €850, conversion safety net, and when to add a French national mark.
How US companies extend trademarks to France and the EU via WIPO's Madrid system: basic mark, designations, central attack, refusals, local counsel.
Official INPI and EUIPO trademark fees plus transparent firm fees from €350: filing, searches, renewals, oppositions. Billed in EUR or USD.
How to choose a protectable sign and draft the goods and services for a French or EU trademark filing — a Paris practitioner's guide for US counsel.
Can a US company register a city or place name as a trademark in France or the EU? The descriptiveness test, acquired distinctiveness, and filing strategy.
Distinctiveness, descriptiveness, deceptiveness and acquired distinctiveness before the INPI — absolute grounds in France, explained for US counsel.
Prior marks, reputed marks, company names, likelihood of confusion: how third-party rights defeat French trademarks, and why watching is essential.
How French law handles genericide: revocation under Article L. 714-6 CPI, the RAPIDO decision, dictionary corrections, and the owner's compliance playbook.
Opposing a French trademark at the INPI: 2-month deadline, grounds, fees from €400, procedure and appeal. A guide for US counsel, by a Paris IP firm.
Opposing an EU trademark at the EUIPO: 3-month window, €320 fee, cooling-off, proof of use, Boards of Appeal. Practical guide for US in-house and firms.
Opposed in France or the EU, or facing an INPI irregularity notice? Deadlines, defense options, coexistence and limitation — a guide for US counsel.
What counts as trademark infringement in France and the EU, available remedies, and strategic options — explained for US in-house counsel and law firms.
Sending or answering a French trademark cease-and-desist (mise en demeure): content, confidentiality rules, and how to respond — for US counsel.
No discovery in France: how infringement evidence is really built — bailiff reports, saisie-contrefaçon, online proof — explained for US counsel.
Suing for trademark infringement in France: the writ of summons, procedure and timeline, damages practice, loser-pays costs, and appeals — for US counsel.
Settlement, coexistence agreements, and mediation in French and EU trademark disputes: when to negotiate, how confidentiality helps, and what deals hold.
Why US clearance doesn't cover France or the EU. Identical vs. similarity searches, prior-rights risk assessment, and opinions from a Paris IP boutique.
Renewing French and EU trademarks: 10-year terms, renewal windows, 6-month grace periods, official fees — and no use declarations, unlike the USPTO.
Assignments, change-of-name and address recordals before INPI and the EUIPO: why recording matters, fees, timing, documents — and INPI erratum requests.
Why watch French and EU registers: the 2-month INPI opposition window is non-extendable. What we monitor, how conflicts are flagged, and what happens next.