Litigation & court system
How litigation works in France and the EU.
We litigate IP and commercial disputes in France and before the EU courts, and we explain how the process — and the court that hears it — differs from what your client expects at home.
Which court hears the case
Intellectual property is heard by a small number of specialised courts, not the ordinary civil courts. Patents fall exclusively to the Paris judicial court, which also sits as France’s sole court for EU trademarks and EU/Community designs. National trademark, design and copyright disputes are concentrated in a handful of designated regional courts, chosen by territorial rules — typically the defendant’s domicile or where the infringement occurred. Purely commercial disputes between businesses, with no IP in issue, instead go to the commercial courts (tribunaux de commerce).
How French and EU litigation works
There is no broad US-style discovery, proceedings are largely written, and timelines and costs are more predictable than in common-law systems. We set expectations on duration and budget at the outset.
Urgent and evidentiary tools
Two tools stand out: the référé for fast interim relief, and the saisie-contrefaçon, a court-authorised seizure that secures evidence of infringement at the opponent’s premises — a powerful step with no common-law equivalent.
Recognition and enforcement
Within the EU, judgments circulate and are enforced under the Brussels I bis Regulation; we advise on enforcing a French judgment abroad and a foreign judgment in France.