Spotlight on Marc Broydé, Lawyer and Representative at the European Patent Office (EPO)

Is experience an asset in the field of intellectual property?

Intellectual property, like all branches of law, is a field in which professionals thrive with time, where experience feeds the creativity that enables us to offer our clients appropriate solutions, whether original or inspired by precedents. Provided, of course, that we stay at the forefront of developments, be they legal (think of the Unified Patent Court) or technical (e.g. the intrusion of AI into our practice and that of our clients).

How does your international background influence your professional practice in intellectual property?

Of course my career path, which has taken me through the European Patent Office, industry and various law and IP law firms in Germany, the UK, Switzerland and France, feeds into my practice every day.

My practice is particularly international in scope, and on a daily basis calls on my full working capacity in three languages – German, English and French – for a clientele of companies that are often present in several European countries where I myself have lived.

Sharing a corporate culture with my industrial clients, the experience of an international organisation with the EPO examiners, and a transnational legal culture with my foreign colleagues allows me to open many doors.

What is your approach to cases and client relations?

Before proposing and advising, it is important to listen, to absorb the information submitted to us, then to question it by adopting different points of view to interpret the facts, that of the client of course, but also that of his competitor or adversary, and of course that of the lawyer.

On a day-to-day basis, I derive great satisfaction from being able to provide the right advice, which is rewarded by the trust my clients place in me over the long term. I particularly enjoy building long-term relationships that enable me to get to know the companies I work for intimately and to help shape their intellectual property culture and strategy.

What founding values and ideas guided the creation of the Alatis network?

We have built the Alatis network around a few simple ideas:

• The conviction that the professions of lawyer and patent attorney benefit from being practised as independent professionals rather than within large integrated structures, hence the desire to bring together seasoned professionals under the same banner, who exchange, pool and combine their strengths within Alatis, without losing their entrepreneurial DNA and their professional freedom.
• An emphasis placed on the diversity of the professional backgrounds of our members, each of whom brings specific experience to the table, be it a long career in industry or in an office, a practice abroad, or specific legal or technical skills.
• The importance of conviviality, which is the cement of our community.

Want to find out more?

Contact marc.broyde@alatis.eu to speak directly with Marc.