JUVE Comment

The international firm filled a crucial gap in its network by launching a Paris patent practice in May 2025 with a team from Pinsent Masons. Bringing strong contacts to well-known pharmaceutical companies, especially generic drug manufacturers such as Accord and Teva, the team led by Jules Fabre was seamlessly integrated into the pan-European practice of Taylor Wessing.

The team demonstrated its extensive life sciences expertise in various high-profile proceedings with cross-border relevance for long-term client Accord, for example against Sanofi over cabazitaxel and against Roche over trastuzumab. In addition to classic generics, biosimilars are increasingly the focus of these disputes. A prime example is the case for Formycon against Bayer over Eylea, where Taylor Wessing provided strategic advice on French law alongside German firm Bonabry (in the lead). It was the first cross-border PI after the CJEU’s BSH vs Electrolux ruling. The team also filed the first-ever Arrow declaration in France in the same case.

This strength in complex national proceedings forms the basis for Taylor Wessing’s work at the UPC, where the Paris office has quickly developed into a key pillar of the firm’s strong European practice. The international network and the work at the pan-European court also open up new opportunities for the French team in technologies beyond the traditional life sciences sector. This is demonstrated by its role for Ericsson in the multi-division UPC proceedings against Transsion concerning 4G/5G SEPs, and for BMS Innovation in its UPC infringement action against BYD over battery management systems. The French team’s rapid growth, with the recent addition of two associates, underscores Taylor Wessing’s ambition to develop a strong patent practice in Paris for national and international litigation.

Strengths

Litigation in life sciences, especially for generics and biosimilar manufacturers. Coordination of pan-European proceedings.

Recommended individuals

Jules Fabre (“very good lawyer with a high profile in pharma cases”, “very visible”, competitors)

Team

6 lawyers

Partner moves

Jules Fabre (from Pinsent Masons)

Clients

Accord against Roche over subcutaneous trastuzumab biosimilar/Herceptin SC (settled 2025); Accord against Sanofi over cabazitaxel/Jevtana (settled 2025); Formycon, Klinge, Horus Pharma and Teva against Regeneron over aflibercept (Eylea); Stragen against Janssen, Millennium, Cilag and the USA in damages claim over generic bortezomib/Velcade; Zentiva against Bayer over generic version of rivaroxaban/Xarelto (settled 2025).