Department Chairs :   Yam Atallah   Bradley Joslove   Mark Richardson   Jérôme Michel

The Commercial Law Department, managed by Yam Atallah, Bradley Joslove, Mark Richardson and Jérôme Michel, assists its domestic and foreign clients, in France and abroad, with respect to the structuring and implementation of their commercial networks, the protection of their intellectual and industrial property, and more generally, the negotiation and drafting of all agreements governing their business operations.

DOMESTIC AND EUROPEAN COMPETITION AND DISTRIBUTION
The Department has developed expertise advising on the organization and implementation of exclusive and selective distribution networks, as well as franchise networks; developing commercial strategies in compliance with French and European competition law; providing assistance and litigation support before French and European authorities and courts, in particular with respect to the notification of agreements and practices, as well as proceedings; conducting competition due diligences and implementing competition law compliance programs within corporations; handling price transparency issues.

INTELLECTUAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
The Firm’s significant experience in the fields of New Technologies, publishing, entertainment, journalism, advertising, fashion and pharmaceuticals, has enabled it to develop an extensive practice in copyright and trademark law, and more generally in intellectual property law. The Firm advises clients on the protection of their trademarks and distinctive signs, provides assistance in the negotiation and drafting of all types of contracts (for the publishing of copyrightable works, the manufacturing of innovative products, joint ventures, assignments and licenses of know how and intellectual property rights, confidentiality agreements, etc.), handles prior art searches and registration formalities in France and abroad, and, in collaboration with the Litigation Department, represents them before French courts and international bodies.

OUTSOURCING
The breadth of the Firm’s areas of expertise and the synergies of its departments has enabled the Firm to develop extensive experience in the area of outsourcing of enterprise resources, as such projects usually call on a great variety of legal disciplines. For example, the New Technologies Department, which represents outsourcing service providers and their customers, has been particularly active in major international projects involving the outsourcing of the IT or telecom resources of multinational corporations. The Firm’s role in such projects ranges from strategic advice as to the structuring of an outsourcing project to the drafting and negotiation of the numerous contracts to assistance with the issue of the transfer of affected employees. A detailed description of the outsourcing practice is available upon request.

CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIPS
The Firm assists its clients with all their needs regarding the contractual framework of their business operations in a large variety of areas: management under lease and business transfers; drafting, negotiation and termination of agreements in relation to franchises, cooperation, commercial leases, advertising, sales promotion, equipment leases, sponsoring, technology transfer, turnkey projects, guaranties and security interests over assets…