Thierry DUFRESNE

Authorised representative at the European Patent Office – INPG Engineer

Thierry DUFRESNE is a graduate of the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble.
For twenty years, Thierry worked at Schneider Electric first as a project manager and later as head of a department specialised in automation and electrical engineering, carrying out numerous projects for different industrial sectors in France and internationally.
It was only then that he decided to orient his career towards Intellectual Property, graduated from the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) in 2000, and became a European patent attorney in 2003. For the second half of his career in the industry, he worked within the Schneider Electric’s Intellectual Property department, in particular by managing the entire patent department at European level.
Working directly with Schneider Electric’s R&D departments, French and European patent offices and foreign IP agents, he has therefore managed all aspects of a large portfolio of international patents, in various fields such as mechanics, low and medium voltage electrical engineering, electronics, regulation, control / command, etc….
He was particularly active in the litigation aspects of intellectual property, participating in numerous patent litigation in France and abroad, oppositions and appeals before various IP offices by conducting worldwide freedom to operate studies. Being part of a large industrial group also gave him the opportunity to take part in various due diligence reviews, particularly in the context of major acquisitions.
Through his mix of experiences, Thierry provides his clients with in-depth knowledge not only of Intellectual Property but also of the general environment of a company and of its customers / suppliers, as well as a unique vision of strategic issues.
In addition, within the framework of the Association of Industrial Property Specialists (ASPI) which brings together IP professionals in the industry, Thierry DUFRESNE was a tutor for 15 years in charge of scoring mock exams for the preparation of candidates to the qualification examination before the European Patent Office.