Intellectual Property Law

The law firm's intervention in intellectual property law

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As an intellectual property lawyer in Paris, Alexandre Mochon draws on more than six years of experience in this field. The law firm assists companies and creators, in Paris and throughout France, with:

building and managing portfolios of rights (trademarks, designs);
drafting and negotiating licence, assignment and coexistence agreements;
infringement litigation, including unfair competition and free riding;
related digital law issues.

The law firm favours a direct relationship with each client and clear answers within a reasonable time. Learn about the background of Alexandre Mochon, your contact at the law firm.

What is intellectual property law?

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Intellectual property law brings together the rules that protect creations of the mind and the distinctive signs of a business: trademarks, designs, works protected by copyright, software and domain names. It gives the rights holder an exclusive right of exploitation, enforceable against third parties and backed by an infringement action.

For a company, intellectual property is an intangible asset that can be valued, assigned or licensed. The law firm advises, drafts agreements and litigates, from protection strategy to the defence of rights.

Trademarks, copyright and designs

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Trademark law

A trademark is a distinctive sign (name, logo, slogan, shape) that identifies a company's goods or services. Trademark rights are acquired by registration with the INPI for France, the EUIPO for the European Union or the WIPO for international protection. Filing is preceded by a prior-rights search, an analysis of the sign's distinctiveness and availability, and the choice of classes of goods and services.

The law firm assists applicants with these steps, monitors the trademark and acts in the event of infringement (opposition, invalidity, revocation, infringement proceedings).

Copyright

Copyright protects original works of the mind (texts, images, graphic creations, music, software) without any filing formality, from the mere fact of their creation. It comprises moral rights, which are perpetual and inalienable, and economic rights, which allow the author to authorise or prohibit the reproduction and communication of the work.

Assignments of rights must comply with formal requirements (Article L. 131-3 of the French Intellectual Property Code), failing which they may be void. The law firm drafts and negotiates these agreements and defends the rights of the author or the assignee.

Designs

A design protects the appearance of a product (lines, contours, colours, shapes, materials). It requires novelty and individual character, and is acquired by registration. This protection is most often combined with copyright and trademark law.

Why intellectual property matters to a business

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Intellectual property secures the exploitation of a company's signs, creations and innovations and allows it to oppose their appropriation by third parties (infringement, free riding, unfair competition).

It is also a decisive element in financing and sale transactions: an audit of rights (due diligence) often conditions a fundraising or an acquisition, and ownership of rights, in particular over developments entrusted to service providers, must be documented.

These issues concern innovative companies as well as established businesses, in particular software publishers (see legal protection of a SaaS).

Contact the law firm

The law firm answers enquiries from companies and creators: its contact details are at the bottom of the page.

Frequently asked questions

Does copyright require registration?

No. Protection arises from the creation of an original work, without any formality. It is nevertheless useful to be able to prove the date and ownership of the creation.

How can a trademark be protected in France and internationally?

In France, a trademark is registered with the INPI after a prior-rights search. International extension goes through the WIPO (Madrid system) or targeted national filings.

When should you consult an intellectual property lawyer?

Ideally before launching a product, a service or a trademark, as well as in the event of suspected infringement, when negotiating a licence or assignment agreement, or on receiving a formal notice.