Founded back in the 1920s, Bugnion S.A. has been protecting inventions, brands and designs for the best part of a century. “Lodging a patent (the technical aspect of an invention) or an industrial design (aesthetics, looks, presentation), or choosing a brand (the name of a product or service) require a great deal of attention,” says Alexandre Weith, co-partner at Bugnion. “Effectively, intellectual property remains a key factor in business strategy. It is not only a heritage that should be defended, but also a major economic issue.”
Bugnion S.A. employs around fifty people, including a dozen or so jurists and legal experts, amongst whom are numbered the firm’s four partners. Together, they are able to address all aspects of intellectual property law. Over the years, Bugnion S.A. has developed a global network of correspondents thanks to whom the company is able to provide its international clients with a complete service. These correspondents provide access to all “local” information in the field of intellectual property, enabling Bugnion to manage patents, registrations and renewals, as well as to negotiate with opposing parties and help clients resolve legal disputes. “We currently work with over 800 clients worldwide, from small entrepreneurial concerns to multinationals,” says Constantin Kiliardis. “We are active in nearly 170 countries in which there is legal provision for the protection of intellectual property rights, and cover all sectors and branches of the economy and intellectual property law.”
Advising and consulting
Bugnion provides advice and assistance to anyone wanting to invest in intellectual property by helping them through every stage of the process. According to Dominique Skrebers, “For a brand, for example, we help clients choose from amongst the most legally suitable of the brands envisaged and then conduct an availability search using national and international databases. Once a brand has been chosen, we advise our clients as to the best strategy to employ in terms of registering it in selected countries at the most reasonable price. Then – and this is an essential stage – the activities of third parties have to be monitored to ensure that we can act expeditiously against any moves liable to prejudice the rights of clients holding a brand, patent or design. Since competition is fierce, we focus on defending the interests of our clients against infringements of their rights in the case of counterfeiting, unfair competition, and passing off. Intellectual property rights must be defended to the bitter end,” emphasises Marguerite Blameuser, “because all flaws can be exploited. We assist clients in negotiations and help them draw up licence, sale, know-how and franchise contracts, etc.”
Finally, it should be recalled that the maximum duration of a patent is 20 years counting from the date on which it is officially lodged and that it takes from two to four years for a patent to be granted. An initial, “traditional” patent request typically costs between 6,000 and 7,000 euros, but prices can vary depending on client needs and the complexity of inventions. Unlike patents, the duration of brands is unlimited, with the proviso, in the majority of cases, that they are renewed every ten years. However, the duration of a design varies, depending on the country, from a few years to 25 years.
English 
