JUVE Comment

The national full-service firm boasts a large IP team with a strong reputation for patent litigation, which is a challenger to the market leaders. Partners Thierry Mollet-Viéville and Thomas Cuche regularly draw attention for their work in high-profile disputes. Mollet-Viéville litigated for Hutchinson in the dispute against Tyron Runflat and Global Wheel, which recently resulted in a landmark decision by the Supreme Court.

The team is active in all technical fields, from automotive, construction and consumer goods to digital communication and life sciences. But despite litigation for such well-known pharma originators as Gilead, DTMV has a less pronounced strength in this sector than competitors like Gide or Allen & Overy. On the other hand, DTMV is increasingly active in disputes for laboratories over biotech patents. In SEP litigation, too, the team has not staked any further claims since the work for Xiaomi (against IPCom), which was some years ago. Despite some new clients in the sector of digital communication, such as a provider of optical fibres for connectivity and a supplier of haptic solutions for touchscreens, DTMV is currently not visible in any high-profile litigation involving SEPs and FRAND.

The firm once again responded to the strong stream of litigation work by growing its team, including at the Lyon office, which opened in February 2022. While the new office offers the opportunity to win over local industry as new clients for IP advice, including major pharma and industrial companies, it has not yet been visible in patent litigation. Despite a comparatively large headcount, it is Mollet-Viéville and Cuche in particular who are known for their patent litigation. Other partners who take on the lead role in some suits for clients like Bigben and Bio-Ex have yet to enjoy this strong market visibility.

Strengths

Litigation related to electronics, mechanics and pharmaceuticals.

European set-up

With its comparatively large headcount, the team is well positioned to handle even large-scale, complex litigation for international clients. Again and again, Thomas Cuche appears in the French proceedings of pan-European lawsuits, for instance for Gilead or Lidl. DTMV nurtures long-standing contacts at firms in important UPC locations, mainly in Germany and Italy. The team is thus in a good starting position for the UPC, although cooperation partners in other key markets, especially the Netherlands, would be an advantage.

Since the team, like Gide, does not have patent attorneys of its own, it depends on external patent attorney firms for technical expertise. Since French patent attorney firms such as Plasseraud and Lavoix are increasingly bringing lawyers into their teams, the pool of potential candidates for cooperation becomes smaller. It therefore makes sense for DTMV to build up its own technical expertise for the UPC. Competitors such as Casalonga or Hoyng ROKH Monegier are already further ahead here. In the search for potential candidates, the Lyon office could prove to be advantageous, as there are several independent renowned patent law firms located there.

Recommended individuals

Thomas Cuche (“highly skilled”, “very experienced in patent law and trade secrets”, competitors), Thierry Mollet-Viéville

Team

16 lawyers

Specialties

All-round IP activity with a strong focus on patent litigation and advice on licences, patent strategy and trade secrets.

Clients

Litigation: Lidl (defendant) against Vorwerk over kitchen appliance; Gilead (defendant) against ViiV Healthcare over HIV drug Biktarvy; Hutchinson (claimant) against Tyron Runflat and Global Wheel over wheel inflation system; Eiffage (claimant) against Regeplastic over modified bitumen; Bigben (defendant) against Nintendo over Wii consoles; Bio-Ex (defendant) against Angus over fire-fighting foam (all public knowledge).