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.
The EU trademark unitary character risk US filers miss: one prior right in a single member state can sink your whole EUTM across all 27 countries.
French director personal liability trademark infringement: how the faute séparable doctrine lets brand owners reach a director's own assets.
Geographical indications barely exist in US law; in Europe they are a wall. Why famous place names can't be monopolized as trademarks in France and the EU — and what to do instead.
ESG branding meets European trademark law: adding ECO, GREEN or NATURE to an existing mark rarely escapes likelihood of confusion at the INPI or EUIPO. A guide for US counsel.
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.