Insights
Analysis grounded in real decisions — EUIPO, INPI, the French courts and the EU courts — written for American in-house counsel and attorneys. Published twice a month.
An INPI opposition looks like a form-filling exercise. It is decided like litigation — on deadlines, evidence you can't add later, and an appeal that is annulment-only. A guide for US counsel.
Oppose a French or EU mark older than five years and you can be asked to prove genuine use — or lose. Eight 2025 INPI decisions on what evidence survives, for US counsel.
France's Decree No. 2026-576, in force July 2, 2026: hidden individual addresses, a longer opposition timetable, and all-electronic INPI notifications.
Bolting a generic word onto someone else's mark rarely escapes likelihood of confusion in France or the EU. What INPI and EUIPO opposition decisions show US filers, and how it differs from TTAB practice.
Artificial intelligence is compressing the timeline for trademark reputation in Europe — and merging sectors that used to be strangers. Several INPI decisions, read for US counsel.