Firm Profile > De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés > Paris, France

Industry focus: IT, telecoms and the internet Tier 1

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés is currently acting for a major TV broadcaster in a dispute with a group of internet providers arising from a change in the client's business model which now imposes the payment of royalty fees on parties distributing ISP and TV service packages in France. Louis de Gaulle and Georgie Courtois recently advised Groupe BCPE on the negotiation with Apple of the contractual aspects of a contactless biometric payment system in Europe, as well as on the setting up of an API banking platform in France to allow financial applications to connect with the client's banking networks. Also notable are Cécile Théard-Jallu and Jean-Marie Job, who advised on the regulatory and data privacy aspects of the launch of an e-health company's connected nutrition scanning device in France and the US. Practice co-head Julien Horn, 'very accurate and excellent' senior counsel Matthieu Dary and Jean-Sébastien Mariez are also key contacts.

Intellectual property: copyright Tier 1

Louis de Gaulle and Julien Horn jointly head the copyright offering at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, which was recently strengthened by the arrival of Sandra Strittmatter from LMBE. The group is currently advising on a copyright infringement claim brought by two authors against the client, a major cinema production studio, and an international publisher instructed the team to represent it in an action filed by the heir of a famous individual regarding the use of posthumous materials in a biography. Charles-Edouard Renault is also a key name to note within the practice and recently oversaw non-contentious mandates in the television and cinema sector such as co-production agreements and output deals.

Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés recently acted for Icade on the contractual and regulatory aspects of its telemedicine project - particularly with regard to GDPR compliance - and an international medical device manufacturer instructed the group to negotiate several public tender offers with French entities for the supply of its products. Louis de Gaulle is currently handling litigation pertaining to the alleged unfair termination of a distribution contract, while Blandine Fauran and Francine Le Péchon-Joubert are jointly handling a matter arising from claims of misleading advertising. Other key names to note include Jean-Marie Job and Cécile Théard-Jallu, who advises an enviable client roster on a wide array of issues including R&D agreements, licensing arrangements and technology-related matters.

Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 2

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés' client roster includes enviable names such as Château de Versailles, which recently instructed a team led by Julien Horn to oversee the administration, licensing and prosecution of its worldwide trade mark portfolio, as well as a dispute with an ex-licensee on the grounds of the fraudulent registration of trade marks. Other notable names include Louis de Gaulle, Francine Le Péchon-Joubert and Serge Lederman, who is currently representing Mango in separate copyright, unregistered designs and models infringement proceedings brought by Chloé and Gas Bijoux. The arrival of Sandra Strittmatter from LMBE significantly strengthened the offering following Philippe Moncorps' arrival from TF1 in 2017. Palais des Thés, Skechers, Haribo and Etam are also names to note among the practice's blue-chip clients.

Industry focus: energy Tier 3

Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés advises on the negotiation of R&D agreements, the intellectual property aspects of corporate transactions and the implementation of employee-inventor policies. The team is jointly led by Louis de Gaulle and Francine Le Péchon-Joubert and represents clients such as Groupe Cahors, R Santé and Alstom. In recent highlights, a large team of partners handled the intellectual property aspects of a joint venture between a rail company and a regulatory agency for the development of a new generation of high-speed trains, including patents and know-how. Other key names include Cécile Théard-Jallu, Blandine Fauran and Julien Horn.

Administrative and public law Tier 4

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés acts for public and private sector entities. The firm is notably involved in several key transport infrastructure projects in French Guiana. It is advising the French Guiana Authority on several development and modernisation projects, including the creation of a cross-border river link with Suriname and the construction of the first road in the hinterland. The practice is also involved in two high-profile projects in the railway sector, and regularly advises on key matters in the sport, IT and healthcare sectors, including dealing with litigation. Frédéric Destal  and Jean-François Vilotte head the practice, and Agnès Macaire  and Louis de Gaulle are also recommended.

Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 4

Dispute resolution: commercial litigation Tier 4

Employment Tier 4

EU, competition and distribution Tier 4

The antitrust team at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés was recently reinforced by the arrival of Thierry Titone and senior counsel Matthieu Dary, who 'has the ability to think outside of the box but always with one purpose: to serve the interests of his clients'. Louis de Gaulle led the advice to Cegedim on a multi-jurisdictional follow-on claim arising from the client's condemnation by the FCA on the grounds of abuse of dominant position. In other highlights, the team handled merger control notifications on behalf of clients such as Spir Communication.

Insolvency Tier 4

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés' team was strengthened by the arrival of Matthieu Barthélemy from De Pardieu Brocas Maffei to assist colleagues Anker Sorensen and Julien de Michele. The firm advises investment funds and companies and has recently gained US and French banks as clients. It handles restructuring, distressed investment and litigation work. The practice recently handled cases concerning the media sector. It also assisted Monaco Resources with its takeover offer for Necotrans' Asian and African assets.

Tax Tier 4

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés' large team of 12 lawyers advise on a diverse range of matters including corporate, property and private client tax matters, as well as non-profit tax issues. The practice is a popular choice for handling complex cases including litigation concerning the 3% tax on dividends and criminal tax issues. It has also recently handled major work in the wine industry and advised on new issues including e-healthcare. The firm also assisted Meeschaert with the structuring of investment funds. French and international groups are other clients. The highly experienced Henri-Nicolas Fleurance, who ‘listens to his clients and addresses concerns’, jointly heads the practice alongside Vincent Schmitt. Also involved are senior counsel Frédéric Paquet and Pascale Farey Da Rin,  who joined from Brown Rudnick LLP. Blaise Philippe Chaumont left to establish Aristide Law.

Dispute resolution: International arbitration Tier 5

Mergers and acquisitions Tier 5

Media and entertainment: advertising

The multi-disciplinary practice at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés covers the full gamut of media and entertainment sectors and represents heavyweight clients such as Stade Français, Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Julien Horn, Louis de Gaulle and Philippe Moncorps acted for a major TV broadcaster in a dispute with a telecom operator which filed trademark and copyright infringement proceedings, and 'great leader' Charles-Edouard Renault - who 'can make things move quickly in a slow-moving landscape' - advised a global technology company on a range of issues including French law matters pertaining to the production of an original series. Rhadamès Killy represented an athlete in his club transfer as well as in defamation litigation against a rival fan in the criminal court of Ajaccio. Also notable is Jean-François Vilotte, who is assisting the national ski instructors union with several matters including criminal charges, and is currently guiding a major sports federation through litigation proceedings brought against an illegal match ticket reseller.