Patent & Trademark Attorneys

What is a Patent or Trademark attorney?

In France, an industrial property attorney (named “CPI”) is a professional specialized in patents and/or trademarks.

This profession is regulated and protected by a title obtained after an exam organized by INPI. This exam is open only to holders of an engineering degree or a scientific, technical or legal master’s degree or a university diploma in industrial property law issued by CEIPI or an equivalent diploma.

CPI are able to advise and represent their clients in all matters relating to the protection of their industrial property rights: acquisition of rights (patents, trademarks and domain names, designs and models), development (licensing and assignment agreements) and defence (infringement) of these rights.

In France, IP attorneys are grouped together within the Compagnie nationale des conseils en propriété industrielle (CNCPI). Equivalent organizations are found in many countries, and our teams include members of professions regulated by the European Patent Office (Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office – EPI), Belgium (Institut des mandataires belges), China (All China Patent Attorneys Association – ACPAA), the United Kingdom (Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys – CIPA and Chartered Trademark Attorney – CTMA), Canada or else the United States.

Can we represent our clients in any countries?

Our teams and offices enable us to represent our clients directly in the following countries: France (trademarks and patents), Belgium (patents), Benelux (trademarks), Luxembourg (patents) Switzerland (trademarks and patents), China (trademarks via LLR China Trademark and patents via Easytimes IP), Germany (via Stumpf Patentanwälte PartGmbB). We also represent our clients directly before the European Patent Office (EPO, patents) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO, trademarks).

In any other countries, we work closely with local agents whom we know and select on the basis of the quality of their work and their costs.

Timeline of our representation in China

As a pioneering European law firm in China, LLR is firmly established there thanks to its representative office in Beijing, its subsidiary LLR Ltd in Hong Kong, LLR China Trademarks firm in Beijing and Shanghai and its cooperation agreement with Easytimes IP law firm in Beijing.

We present here the history of our development in China.

In 2008, LLR founds its first office in China, in Beijing. This office provides foreign clients with explanations and support about the way Intellectual Property is handled in China. Experienced Chinese collaborators are hired, to build a team able to answer questions of foreign clients regarding patents, designs and trademarks. Most of the collaborators are bicultural people, with good knowledge of French language and culture. The purpose is to make it easier to understand and communicate with European clients.

In parallel, this team is trained by LLR to foreign prosecutions in patent, design and trademark matters in Europe and before major IP offices worldwide. Close collaboration agreements are signed with Chinese Patent representative firms, to deal with procedures before the Chinese patent office under the supervision of the team.

Later on, patent, design and trademark activities will become autonomous.

In 2010, LLR China Trademark is founded as a Chinese Trademark representative office.

In 2016, LLR China Patent is founded as a Chinese Patent representative office for patents and designs.

These two offices are able to represent applicants and IP right owners before the Trademark office.

In 2023, LLR opens the first representative office of a foreign industrial property firm in Beijing, in order to facilitate access for Chinese companies to LLR’s patent and design services in Europe.

LLR signs a cooperation agreement with the Chinese law firm Easytimes. This law firm is dedicated to Intellectual Property and provides the full range of patent and design services, both for obtaining and defending titles. The LLR China Patent team joins Easytimes IP.