A design protects the appearance of a product.

As an Authorized Lawyer before the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market and a former Conseil en Propriété Industrielle (patent attorney), Maître Luc BARNY has all the necessary experience and expertise to file for French or Community designs. To minimize the risks of infringement proceedings, we perform a search availability for the design in France and in the European Union.

We work in close collaboration with foreign renowned lawyer’s office for the international applications and availability searches.

Before making or selling a product, it is essential to figure out whether these acts are covered by a third party’s industrial property rights.

We may conduct an infringement analysis to identify relevant protected patents, trademarks or designs and the scope of such rights. We also inform our client if he may benefit from an exemption such as the “Bolar provision”.

To be enforceable against third parties any document which affects the ownership (assignment agreement, co-ownership agreement) or the use (licence agreement) of a patent shall be registered before the registers of the patent offices. Without such registration, the assignee, or the licensee, if it is allowed to do so according to the licence agreement, will not be entitled to enforce its patent rights against a third parties, for instance in an infringement action.