Business law
Structure and secure your business.
Protecting your intellectual property is not enough: you also need a suitable legal structure and solid contracts. Clients often come to us when setting up, signing an important contract, or assigning a right. We support the legal life of your business, working — where needed — with our network of partners in corporate law and tax.
Structuring your business
The choice of form (company, self-employed status), the drafting of the articles or a shareholders’ agreement shape what follows: governance, the entry of investors, founder protection. We steer you toward the structure suited to your project, with our network’s support on corporate and tax aspects.
Securing your contracts
Most disputes arise from a poorly framed contract. We draft and review all your contracts: distribution and reselling, trademark, software or know-how licences, copyright assignments, services and subcontracting, partnerships, confidentiality (NDA), and general terms of sale and use. Each contract is tailored to your business and priorities — not a generic template.
Distribution and competition law
Distribution, franchise and supply contracts are governed by competition law, which limits certain clauses: you cannot impose a resale price, nor in principle outright ban online selling, and non-compete commitments are capped in time. A non-compliant clause may be void, or even expose you to penalties. We draft these contracts in compliance with those rules.
Assigning or licensing your IP rights
Selling, transferring or licensing a trademark, a patent or a copyright requires a precise writing. A copyright assignment must delimit the rights assigned, their scope, duration and territory, failing which it may be unenforceable. A trademark assignment — like a licence you want to enforce — must be recorded on the register (INPI or EUIPO) to be enforceable against third parties. An imprecise assignment can leave rights with the assignor: we secure assignments and licences so the transfer is clean.
The specifics of French contract law
French law imposes rules that cannot be set aside: good faith at every stage, a duty to inform, and control of clauses creating a significant imbalance in adhesion contracts. Better to build these in when drafting than to discover them in a dispute.