Xavier MAZABRAUD

After working as a researcher for EDF and conducting research on the possibility of using plasma torches on blast furnaces, Xavier MAZABRAUD worked for more than 10 years in the management of public works sites, first with Bouygues and then with Demathieu & Bard, in particular on the construction of airports, road and rail networks, and a dam on the Marne river.

He then worked at several major French IP firms as a patent engineer. In 2009, he became an entrepreneur and took over an industrial property consultancy in Versailles, before working with LLR from 2022.

He advises many companies on various aspects of their innovation. He follows patent acquisition procedures in France and abroad (drafting of patent applications, examination procedures). He assists them in detecting inventions likely to be protected and advises them on freedom to operate with regard to rights held by third parties, and on drafting contracts relating to industrial property.

He has carried out numerous seizures of counterfeit goods in various fields.

In particular, he advises a leading manufacturer of fasteners for the construction industry, as well as companies in the mechanical, energy and renewable energy sectors.

Dr. Holger SPACHMANN

Dr.-Ing. Holger Spachmann is partner of Stumpf Patentanwälte PartGmbB in Stuttgart since 2012 and head of the patent department.

After having passed an apprenticeship as electrician in a family-owned crafts enterprise, Dr. Spachmann served as corporal of the tank troops in military service. During his university studies, Dr. Spachmann specialized in electrical engineering at the TU Darmstadt and focused on communication technology and theory of electromagnetic fields. He completed a diploma degree in electrical engineering as best of his class. Dr. Spachmann is author of a dozen of worldwide published scientific publications and passed his PhD degree on a new numerical method for higher order electromagnetic field simulation with summa cum laude. During his university career, Dr. Spachmann was scholar of the German National Academic Foundation. After his scientific career, he became project leader and senior software development engineer of CST AG, responsible for a major electromagnetic software package for simulation of charged particle accelerating structures.

In 2005, Dr. Spachmann entered the world of intellectual property and started a dual-path education as German Patent Attorney by working in an IP firm as patent attorney candidate and student of FernUniversität Hagen in law for patent attorneys. In 2008, he passed the bar as German Patent and Trademark Attorney, and in 2011, he qualified as European Patent Attorney.

Dr Spachmann is specialized in prosecution and litigation of technical IP rights such as patents and utility models and in the field of employee invention law. His major fields of technology are software-related inventions, electronics, electrical engineering, green energy generation, mechanical engineering and automotive inventions. His clients range from individuals to worldwide acting large companies.

Dr. Holger Spachmann is managing partner of Stumpf Patentanwälte PartGmbB.

Professional Organisations

Dr. Holger Spachmann is member of the following organisations:

German Chamber of Patent Attorneys
AIPPI (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle)
FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys)
EPI (Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office)
VPP (Association of Intellectual Property Experts)
GRUR (Deutschen Vereinigung für gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht)
Bundesverband Deutscher Patentanwälte e.V.
Lions Club Altes Schloss, Stuttgart
Alumni of Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes

Sarah GEHRLICHER

During her university studies in civil engineering at the University of Stuttgart, Sarah Gehrlicher focused on structural engineering and mechanics and earned a diploma degree.

After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the Materials Testing Institute at the University of Stuttgart (MPA Stuttgart) and was responsible for several research projects in the field of material testing and numerical analysis.

In 2011, she qualified as an International Welding Engineer (IWE) at the Training and Testing Institute of Welding in Fellbach, Germany.

In 2014, she started the education as a German Patent Attorney candidate by working at Stumpf Patentanwälte PartGmbB and by studying law for patent attorneys at FernUniversität Hagen. Furthermore, she was trained at the German Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Patent Court in Munich.

Since the beginning of 2018, she is working as a German Patent Attorney and European Trademark and Design Attorney. She is a freelance employee of Stumpf Patentanwälte PartGmbB in Stuttgart, Germany.

Her major fields of technology are mechanics, automotive engineering and manufacturing technologies.

Professional Organisations

She is member of the following organisations:

German Chamber of Patent Attorneys
FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys)
VPP (Association of Intellectual Property Experts)

Marco T. CONNOR

After his doctoral dissertation at EPFL (CH) and a post-doc at CSIC (ES) dedicated to research in the field of polymer and composite materials, Marco Connor joined EMS CHEMIE AG (CH) with the mission of developing new products and putting them on the market.

Between 1999 and 2007, Marco worked at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich as an examiner. During this period, he presided over numerous oral opposition proceedings. He participated in the project “EPO Scenarios for the Future” and passed the European qualification examination in 2005.

In 2007, Marco moved from examiner to patent attorney and headed the patent office of Office Kirkpatrick (BE). Three years later, he started his own business, working freelance with various firms, notably with BiiP (BE). In 2015, he joined forces with Nicolas Pecher to create together Pecher & Partners (BE).

Pecher & Partners works with LLR to offer inventors in the Belgian market a complete and effective range of services to assist them in the development of their intellectual property strategy. In this context, Marco Connor drafts patent applications and follows European and international grant procedures. In addition, he advises clients in their industrial property strategy, assists them in litigation and conducts patentability and freedom of exploitation studies.

Professional affiliation

epi

Additional activities

CEIPI teacher (basic training course preparation for the EQE)

Teacher at the ULB (Continuing Education in Administrative and Formal Management of IP)

Gilles ESCUDIER

After working in the “Trademark litigation” department of the French National Industrial Property Institute (INPI), Gilles Escudier practised his profession in several leading French industrial property firms. He joined our firm as a partner in 2004. His work includes trademark, design, domain name and unfair competition law for French and foreign customers including SMEs and large groups.

He provides consultancy services to customers in the field of protection and defence of industrial property rights, allowing them to set up a consistent strategy with respect to their size, markets and expectations, during availability searches and applications, in management of rights, in the context of oppositions or attack and defence litigations as well as to draw up contracts. He is specialized in trademark law in the wine-producing sector. He has participated in numerous conferences and written articles in various law reviews on this subject.

His customers are specialized in wine, pharmacy and cosmetics, automotive, signs and symbols, the environment and waste treatment, the food industry, museums, lighting and houses for the elderly. The customers include major brands, both mass distribution and luxury.

Gilles Escudier is a member of LLR’s Executive Committee.

Professional Organisations

Association des praticiens du droit des marques et des modèles (APRAM)
European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA)

Complementary Activities

2012: Breakfast-debate organised by LLR: “Specifications of medecines and cosmetics trademarks” conference
2011: JurisClasseur “Industrial property” – Article entitled “Cheval Blanc : l’art de franchir les obstacles avec panache !” (White horse: the art of crossing obstacles in style!) (No. 9, September 2011), comment on decision No. 09/02994 of the Bordeaux Court of Appeal
2010: Breakfast-debate organised by LLR: “Customs detention”
2010: LLR in-house lunch-debate: Presentation on “Validity of free non-notarised assignment acts”
Since 2007: Organisation of in-house lunch-debates on a point of case-law in the presence of customers or foreign patent attorneys
2007: Customer awareness training on industrial property: Presentation on “How to use the term bio “
2007: Customer awareness training on industrial property: Presentation on “Brands on the internet”
2004: Conference given in several French wine-producing regions “Trademarks and wine”
2003: JurisClasseur “Propriété industrielle” – Article entitled “Château Haut-Brion: une victoire après un long débat judiciaire” (Château Haut-Brion: victory after a long legal battle) (No. 10, October 2003), comment on decision No. C. 01-02.283 of the Supreme court of appeal
2003: La Semaine Juridique “Entreprises et affaires” – Article entitled “Conditions d’emploi du vocable “château” en matière de marques pour désigner des vins” (Conditions of use of the term “château” for trademarks to designate wines) (No. 25, 19 June 2003)

Vincent REMY

Vincent REMY is co-founder of LLR. After working as analyst engineer for Compagnie Générale d’Informatique (which was merged with IBM Global Services), he joined a large French industrial property firm in 1991, before founding LLR in 2000.

Vincent REMY provides consultancy services to major French industrial companies, SMEs and start-ups concerning their industrial property protection strategies, in particular in the plastics, healthcare and IT sectors. For these customers, he provides legal advice, drafts contracts, performs the technical analysis of inventions, drafts patent applications, defends them before the industrial property offices until a patent has been granted, and before the courts against counterfeiters.

Residing in Asia since 2018, Vincent REMY is heavily involved in the development of LLR Ltd in Hong Kong and LLR’s representative office in Beijing. He contributes to defining the strategy and deploying the protection of European groups in China. Vincent REMY is also a senior consultant for Easytimes IP for intellectual property matters in Europe.

Vincent REMY has dedicated much of his time to young professionals, raising their awareness and providing training on industrial property, giving lectures on European patent law and seminars to prepare for the qualification examination before the European Patent Office, organized by CEIPI at the Robert Schuman Law University, now the University of Strasbourg. He has also delivered occasional training courses at INPI, the French National Institute of Industrial Property. He lectures regularly in engineering schools and universities.

Taking his work on industrial property awareness one step further, Vincent REMY is co-author, with Clémence VALLEE-THIOLLIER, of a simulation game with the participants competing against each other on a fictitious market. The participants create a portfolio of patents and trademarks and try to obtain concrete competitive advantages, while having to respect budget constraints related to the success of their strategic choices.

Alongside his activities as co-manager of LLR and patent and trademark attorney, Vincent REMY is responsible for the computer services used by the firm’s employees and customers, in particular the industrial property file management software CleverIP, which he co-produced.

Vincent REMY is a member of LLR’s Executive Committee.

Teaching Activities

Teacher of the “Intellectual Property” course at the BUCT chemical engineering school affiliated to Paris-Saclay (2023)
Teacher of the course « Software protection » of the module “Propriété industrielle à l’ère du numérique : Brevets, licences et construction d’un portefeuille PI” (“Industrial property in the digital age: Patents, licences and construction of an IP portfolio”) at the École des Hautes Études Appliquées du Droit – HEAD School (2021)
Teacher of the course « The different IP rights » of the module “Propriété industrielle à l’ère du numérique : Brevets, licences et construction d’un portefeuille PI” (“Industrial property in the digital age: Patents, licences and construction of an IP portfolio”) at the École des Hautes Études Appliquées du Droit – HEAD School (2021)
Teacher of “Copyright” courses for students of Masters 1 & 2 in “Cultural Dynamics” and “Cultural and Media Industries” – Sorbonne Nord (since 2021)

Professional Organisations

Association des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle (ACPI)
Member of the National Advisory Center for Overseas Intellectual Property Dispute Settlement in Beijing
Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Patent Attorneys Limited (HKIPA) in Hong Kong

Complementary Activities

Recent speaking engagements and symposia:

2010: Beijing CCIFC: “Presentation and comparison of legal protections offered by Chinese and European industrial property law” conference
2009: Symposium of the Nancy Ecole des Mines on the efficiency of innovation processes. Participation in a round table on the theme “Developing knowledge”.
2009: European Research & Innovation Exhibition: “Filing patents, what for?” conference
2009: Breakfast-debate organised by LLR: “ICT and Industrial Property law” conference

Éric DE KEZEL

Éric DE KEZEL has thirty years of experience in the field of IP.

As a chemical engineer by training, he began his career in electrochemistry in the production of thin copper sheets for the electronics industry.
He then turned to the oil industry, holding various positions from patent engineer to IP R&D director within large international groups. In particular, he developed an experience in R&D cooperation with China as IP manager and was IP director in the gas / electricity / renewable energy branch.

Since 2009, Éric DE KEZEL has been an intellectual property consultant within his own structure.

He joined the LLR team at the end of 2019 as Of Counsel Patent Attorney.

Éric DE KEZEL analyses search reports, drafts patent applications, prepares responses to notifications issued by patent offices and follows European and international grant procedures. In addition, he conducts patent validity, freedom to operate and infringement consultations in order to advise his clients in their industrial property strategy and assist them in case of litigation.

Gloria SOGAN

After 7 years of experience in a company, Gloria joined Innovincia where she has since been working as a patent engineer.

She drafts patent applications and defends them during granting procedures in France, Europe and abroad. She also conducts freedom to operate studies.

Her main fields of interest are applied physics, instrumentation and mechanics.

Priscilla PERIAN

After 2 years of experience in the patent department of VIDON in Rennes as an apprentice engineer, Priscilla has been working as a patent engineer for Innovincia since 2007.

Priscilla offers personalized support to small companies as well as to large groups familiar with industrial property. Her tasks consist in drafting patent applications and following the granting procedures in France, Europe and abroad. Priscilla is also involved in freedom to operate studies.

Her main field of interest is the automotive industry (thermodynamics, mechanics, autonomous driving).

Arnaud VIALLET

After a Master’s degree in Life and Earth Sciences and various professional experiences in several fields and sectors, Arnaud has been working as a patent engineer since November 2008 at Innovincia.

He drafts patent applications and monitors patent granting procedures in France, Europe and abroad. He also conducts patentability, freedom to operate and infringement studies. He works with small, medium and large companies.

Arnaud works in various technical fields such as biology, chemistry and mechanics.