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Intellectual Property

The challenges

In a context where intellectual property forms one of the primary areas for economic development with regard to both technology and creativity, companies need to develop, protect and defend their intellectual property. All market players are faced with four major challenges:

  • Securing ownership of technological innovations and creations developed for the company by their contractors and employees
  • Guaranteeing the protection of these innovations and creations
  • Developing contractual arrangements relating to the secure use of intellectual property rights
  • Defending intangible assets in the event of infringement and/or unfair and/or parasitic competition.  

Our practice areas

We advise our clients on the following key legal areas:

  • Patents, know-how and plant variety certificates
  • Trademarks and domain names
  • Designs
  • Copyright and neighbouring rights
  • Databases, personal data protection
  • Unfair and parasitic competition.

We offer a full-range of services involving:

  • Analysing legal situations, providing advice and legal opinions relating to all intellectual property-related issues
  • Drafting and negotiating R&D, licence, assignment and coexistence agreements
  • Conducting audits of companies’ intellectual property
  • Filing national and European trademarks, designs, conducting research and analysis relating to prior rights
  • Objection procedures on behalf of claimants or defendants
  • Customs procedures
  • Providing assistance and representation in disputes regarding intellectual property matters before the civil, commercial and criminal courts (seizure of infringing products, action for infringement, interim prohibition measures, etc.)
  • Providing assistance and representation in disputes regarding unfair and parasitic competition, and criminal or contractual liability in general relating to these areas.  

Our approach

  • Our multidisciplinary expertise is based on our team members’ complementary skills. We have expertise in providing advice, contractual matters and litigation relating to intellectual property law and competition law. 
  • Our team’s complementary expertise can be combined with the firm’s other legal and tax expertise : the full scope of matters is often not recognised and can go beyond intellectual property law issues. in this respect, lawyers specialising in other areas are often called upon (tax, competition, regulations, etc.).
  • International management of matters by dedicated lawyers working together with other lawyers in CMS.
  • Pragmatic approach combined with an understanding of our clients’ business sectors.  

Our clients

All French or foreign companies whose operations depend on protecting and developing intellectual property in sectors as varied as life sciences, chemical industry, information technology, mechanics, food industry, textile and luxury goods.


Feed

01/06/2022
CMS Next
What’s next? In a world of ever-ac­cel­er­at­ing change, staying ahead of the curve and knowing what’s next for your business or sector is essential. At CMS, we see ourselves not only as your legal advisers but also as your business partners. We work together with you to not only resolve current issues but to anticipate future challenges and innovate to meet them. With our latest publication, CMS Next, our experts will regularly offer you insights into and fresh perspectives on a range of issues that businesses have to deal with – from ESG agendas to restructuring after the pandemic or facing the digital transformation. We will also share with you more about the work that we are doing for our clients, helping them innovate, grow and mitigate risk. To be able to provide you with the best support, we immerse ourselves in your world to understand your legal needs and challenges. However, it is equally important that you know who we are and how we can work with you. So, we invite you to meet our experts and catch a glimpse of what is happening inside CMS. Enjoy reading this publication, which we will update regularly with new content. CMS Executive Team
03/02/2022
Reform of the regime for inventions and software of non-employees collaborators
The French Intellectual Property Code (IPC) provides, under certain conditions, for an automatic vesting in the employer of intellectual property rights on inventions and software of employees and public...
24/06/2021
Best Lawyers 2022
he 2021 Best Lawyers ransking for France has been published. We thank our peers for voting for us. The American legal magazine Best Lawyers published on June 25, in partnership with the newspapers Les...
26/06/2020
Best Lawyers 2021
The 2021 Best Lawyers ransking for France has been published. We thank our peers for voting for us. The American legal magazine Best Lawyers published on June 25, in partnership with the newspapers Les...
01/07/2019
Best Lawyers 2020
The 2020 edition of Best Lawyers in France has been published. We thank our peers for voting for us. On 01 July 2019, American legal magazine Best Lawyers, published, in partnership with Les Echos, a...
15/06/2018
CMS Francis Lefebvre Lyon Avocats Elects a new Executive Board
CMS Francis Lefebvre Lyon Avocats, subsidiary of CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats, has just renewed its Executive Board. François Coutard, 56 years old, partner in employment law, has been re-elected for...
26/05/2016
CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre Lyon and Jakubowicz Mallet-Guy & Associés advise...
CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre Lyon, supported by around ten European CMS-network member firms and a partner firm in the United States, was advisor to SBM Développement on tax, labour law, intellectual...