We are pleased to share an extract from number 180 of "Informations Entreprise" magazine, in which our team had the pleasure to be interviewed about the role of intellectual property in the digital transformation of companies.
Informations Entreprise: Why have you built your firm around a multi-specialist approach?
Olivier Nicolle : IPON GLOBAL's vision is the result of a lifetime spent in the Industrial Property (IP) sector. I have been a patent engineer since 1985, and have practiced in renowned French IP firms such as Brevatome (1985-1986), Netter (partner 1986-2001), BDSA (2001- 2013), and Santarelli (2003- 2006). Later, I became head of Alcatel-Lucent's patent department in Paris; from here, I started to build up a real network at the international level, in Europe, but also in Asia and the United States, keeping in addition sincere friendships resisting against geographical dispersion and business afflictions. With more than 30 years of experience in law firms and companies, I have been dealing with cases in a wide range of fields and for all types of clients throughout my career.
At the same time, I am involved in training and teaching activities. I am a teacher at INPI for the Patent Assistant Certificate exam and a corrector at ASPI for the European Patent Qualifying Exam. I also teach at the DJCE of the Faculty of Law of Montpellier. Besides allowing me, after 30 years of practice in this field, to share my experience with new generations, these related activities also have a major influence on my practice as an Industrial Property Attorney. Indeed, they force me to constantly challenge my legal and technical knowledge and allow me to be constantly up to date with the latest developments in the IP sector.
I.E: Your experience is the DNA of IPON GLOBAL... however, what about in practice?
Olivier Nicolle : I am a Patent & Trademark Attorney qualified before the French and European offices. We have therefore structured our organization around two complementary teams. A team of engineers, orchestrated by Thomas Croise, who offers his expertise in technical innovations - and a team of legal counsel, headed by Théo Perrone, who brings his expertise in issues related to trademarks, designs and copyrights. This complementarity allows our firm to provide comprehensive support to all types of clients with regard to all aspects of intellectual property. We are thus able to implement for each client a strategy of protection, defense and valorization of their technological innovations (patents), their distinctive signs (trademarks, designs) or their creations (copyrights) in France and abroad, all this being part of a global protection strategy dedicated to the client. In addition, all members of IPON GLOBAL work together on each client's case, which allows the firm to analyze and respond to each need by capitalizing on both legal and technical expertise.
I.E: A carefully selected team focused on digital transformation?
Olivier Nicolle : Indeed, our main focus is on digital transformation, with clients such as DAVRON, CIRCET, NANO CORP, EFFICIENT IP, SPS, MONTHABOR, AIRMONT, ZEENDOC, ECOSYS GROUP, XAALYS or METROLAB. For example, we also work with investment funds that mandate us to carry out IP audits of the companies they support. This was the case very recently when we carried out an IP audit of a company specialized in the characterization of materials at the nanometric scale.
I.E: As you mentioned at the beginning of the interview, IPON GLOBAL's network is the key element that makes its added value?
Olivier Nicolle : Totally! Because of my experience, we benefit from a large network, both nationally and internationally. We regularly work in collaboration with law firms during legal actions. For example, we are currently working on an infringement action brought by a patent troll against a major telecom equipment manufacturer. In addition, we decided several years ago to establish an informal partnership with several professionals in the industry in order to provide a diversified range of services. These professionals include companies that are specialized in document translation and legalization, branding, as well as product conception, design, and prototyping.
In this regard, I am also in the process of setting up an alliance with 3 other IP firms with complementary technical (biotechnology, advanced mechanics) and legal (trademarks, copyright) expertise. Here, the goal is to maintain or even strengthen our independence while expanding even further abroad. But more than that, the idea is also to be able to share our know-how... a logic that extends to our customers! Indeed, some of them are sometimes in search of a particular, targeted expertise; well, through our approach, we bring them together so that each member of the network can benefit from our ecosystem!
Feedback from one of our clients involved in digital transformation: DAVRON TRANSLATIONS
Extract published in Informations Entreprise N° 180 September / October / November 2021.