Genesis of Regimbeau
Founded by Pierre Regimbeau in 1931, Regimbeau is one of the first French patent law firm. From the outset, the aim was to structure a range of services combining expertise in patent filing, particularly in the chemical and mechanical sectors, and legal support for related issues, such as trademarks and designs.
Since the 1970s and 1980s, this global approach to intellectual property has been the common thread running through Regimbeau’s development, bringing together new talents over the generations to build up a team of more than 200 associates with complementary expertise and skills, alongside 16 partners.
New wave
At the heart of the 30-year post-war boom, Regimbeau experienced a new impetus. In 1962, Jacques Corre, Pierre Regimbeau’s son-in-law, and his partner, Yves Paillet, took up the torch and affirmed Regimbeau’s ambitions in a rapidly changing IP sector.
This was a period of growth and transformation, marked by the arrival of a clientele of large international groups and supported by a new generation of partners: Jean-Jacques Martin, Robert Schrimpf, then Jacques Warcoin and Francis Ahner, who laid the foundations of a leading firm in many fields.
At the forefront of technology
In essence and by mission, the members of Regimbeau are pioneers, trailblazers of the frontiers of technology. In the 1980s, under the impetus of Jacques Warcoin, Regimbeau was the first IP firm to file a series of patents in the field of biology.
Thanks to its appetence for scientific profiles with highly specialised skills, Regimbeau is a true technological watchdog for its clients, always at the forefront of innovation.
Today, in the field of biology, Frédérique Faivre Petit and Barbara Casadewall and their team maintain Regimbeau’s leading position.
Jean-Robert Callon de Lamarck, Jérôme Collin, Sylvain Thivillier, Marie Audren and Emmanuel Potdevin, who manage large patent portfolios, particularly in the fields of physics, mechanics and IT, have also developed a very strong expertise in the field of litigation, particularly oppositions, mobilising the technical and legal expertise of their teams to serve high-stake cases.
Regimbeau is also the historical counsel of many players in the pharmaceutical field; Anne Boutaric, Emmanuelle Levy and Stéphanie Célaire are today at the head of a team of which the experience and expertise are highly regarded and recognised year after year in rankings.
On brand
Considered today as a fundamental part of IP, trademark law, and all intangible assets gravitating around it, has undergone a rapid rise in importance since the 1970s. With a team of lawyers already recognised in the field, Regimbeau very quickly positioned itself in these new activities, developing a department dedicated to the protection and enhancement of trademarks, designs, domain names and copyrights.
With an extremely changing subject matter, punctuated by the regular appearance of new assets and new regulations, the activity of the Trademarks and Designs department has gradually become an essential part of Regimbeau’s range of expertise, covering all economic sectors and assisting a wide variety of companies, from large industrial groups to innovative SMEs and start-ups.
Led today by Evelyne Roux, Martine Bloch-Weill, Isabelle Thill and Olivier Prats, the Trademarks & Designs support team continues to develop new practices, in line with market developments, while consolidating the virtuous and necessary synergy between Patent activities and those dedicated to the overall development of a company’s intangible capital.
IP at the service of growth
Throughout its history, Regimbeau has developed a strategic approach to IP, always aligned with its clients’ objectives at the various stages of their project’s development.
The combination of the technical and legal expertise of our teams with this business-oriented approach has enabled Regimbeau to develop a strong activity in the field of valuation and operation of intellectual property assets in the context of fundraising, IPOs, restructuring and, generally, all transactions involving intellectual property assets.
Marc Levieils and Martine Bloch-Weill have now structured this activity within a cross-functional team in charge of valuation and contract negotiations.
One ambition: a global approach
At the dawn of the 1990s, the distinction between patent attorneys and legal experts faded away and all intellectual property assets were put to use in new business models.
Already a pioneer in structuring an offer covering the technical, economic and marketing aspects of the business, Regimbeau’s global approach to IP, integrating all assets into its practice, was validated by the market. Contracts, data, domain names, mediation, technological watch…
Regimbeau’s range of services is constantly expanding, conquering new challenges and providing new solutions, based on a multidisciplinary approach drawing on all the skills of our teams.
A global vision and a local presence
Regimbeau’s expertise allows it to respond to international strategic considerations, while maintaining very high quality, personalised relationships with its clients.
Over the years, Regimbeau has built up a coherent territorial network in line with the economic and technological development of our regions.
Historically based in Paris, Regimbeau is also present in France in Rennes, Montpellier, Toulouse and also in the Rhône-Alpes region (in Lyon and Grenoble) where Anne Boutaric and Olivier Prats lead a rapidly growing team.
Regimbeau also has an office in Munich, located close to the European Patent Office. This office is the bridgehead of our organisation dedicated to European patent proceedings, where Jérôme Collin and Sylvain Thivillier manage international development and relations with our network of international partners.
At the heart of institutions
Regimbeau’s partners have always actively contributed to the development of the IP attorney profession within professional bodies and federations, both nationally and internationally.
In the past, three of them have held the presidency of the ACPI (French branch of the FICPI): Pierre Regimbeau, Jacque Corre, Christian Texier. Jean-Jacques Martin served two terms as Chairman of the CNCPI (National Association of Industrial Property Attorneys).
On the international level, Francis Ahner was Secretary General, then Chairman of the FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys).
Today, Marc Levieils is Chairman of the ACPI, Isabelle Thill is treasurer of APRAM (Association of Trademark and Design Law Practitioners), Jérome Collin is Chairman of the “International Patents Matters” Study and Work Commission of the FICPI.
Honouring women
In an environment that was exclusively male for a long time, Regimbeau has always favoured an approach based on merit and committed to diversity, thus becoming one of the first IP firms to have a predominantly female governance.
Among the leading women at Regimbeau, Evelyne Roux was the first female partner in 2003. Today, there are 10 women partners, all specialities combined.
If you know it, teach it!
Promoting and developing the challenges of innovation, transmitting and disseminating technical and legal knowledge have always been fundamental values shared by all Regimbeau staff.
Regimbeau is constantly present at centres and schools dedicated to IP, such as the CEIPI, and has many lecturers among its ranks.
Regimbeau is also a training organisation and has been offering a catalogue of training courses and tailor-made courses to its clients for over 20 years.
Cultivating the Regimbeau Heritage
Internally, Regimbeau’s heritage is one of excellence, rigour and transparency with which its employees have always served their clients’ interests.
To preserve this heritage is to ensure the continuity of a philosophy and a Regimbeau method that places the transmission of knowledge at the heart of its identity.
Often defined as the school for the trade, Regimbeau constantly keeps an open mind, both in terms of detecting new talent and developing new know-how.
In this spirit, Regimbeau writes a new page in its soon to be centenary adventure every day.