Digital technology has resulted in increasing and different consumer demands and allows companies to conduct their businesses in a diversified manner. Every single industry has been impacted by the digital revolution and it is essential that companies adapt and anticipate further developments resulting from the evolving digital space. To that end, we assist our clients in connection with the following matters:

• negotiation and drafting of e-commerce agreements (such as hosting agreements, SEO agreements, partnership agreements, general terms and conditions of use and sale, online advertising, etc.);
• domain names, cyber-squatting;
• e-commerce and digital distribution;
• liability of Internet players (including content publishers, hosting providers, Internet service providers, blog publishers, forum moderators, etc.);
• open data and big data issues;
• connected devices.

Personal data represents a major strategic challenge for those involved in the processing of such data. However, the applicable regulations often times appear unclear and are in constant flux, as demonstrated by the recently adopted General Data Protection European Regulation n°2016/679, effective as of May 2018. In this respect, we assist and represent our clients in the following matters:

• filings with the French data protection authority (the CNIL);
• compliance audits regarding the French Data Protection Act and European regulations;
• identification procedures for, and monitoring of, personal data processing;
• negotiation and drafting of agreements with subcontractors (including for cloud computing, storage, etc.);
• legal advice and representation before regulatory bodies (including CNIL);
• assistance for data transfer outside of the European Union.

Software represents an increasing strategic concern for companies. It may, in and of itself, constitute the company’s business model or alternatively be the source of a competitive advantage over a company’s competitors. Accordingly, it is crucial to ensure its protection. In this respect, we advise our clients on the following matters:

• negotiation and drafting of IT agreements (IT solutions provisions, Outsourcing/ Application Service Provider, licensing agreements, design and development of websites, hosting, etc.);
• identification and securing of risks with respect to broadcasting of content over the Internet;
• drafting of IT and Internet guidelines and policies;
• setting up of internal procedures with respect to the processing of claims related to online content.

Advertising Law is a complex and constantly evolving area of the law. In an increasing concern for consumer protection, numerous obligations have been imposed on advertisers, who now have to adapt to the ever-expanding and ever-innovative forms of communication. The advertising sector also raises intellectual property issues, making rules and regulations in such area even more complex. In this context, we:

• provide legal advice with respect to the regulatory aspect of certain products (such as promotion of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmaceutical products, etc.);
• clear and ensure compliance of advertising campaigns with applicable regulations;
• negotiate and draft agreements related to advertising activities (including agreements with respect to the purchase of advertising space, purchase of art, etc.);
• draft regulations for contests, games and the like;
• negotiate and draft agreements for acquisition of rights (music, photographs, works, etc.);
• provide litigation services with respect to infringement issues (copyright, trademarks, designs), unfair competition, deceptive marketing practices and comparative advertising.

We assist our clients in protecting and adding value to their brands and domain name portfolios. Brands are an essential showcase for companies or even individuals. We assist our clients in creating their identity and establishing their strategic market position by maximizing the value of their trademarks and domain name portfolios. To that end, we work with each client to develop a tailored legal strategy in connection with the creation, protection and management of their brands and domain names, and counsel them in connection with the following matters:

• clearance;
• filing strategies according to the activity and the territory covered;
• monitoring and management of brand and domain names portfolios;
• negotiation and drafting of trademarks assignment and license agreements, transfer of domain names, coexistence agreements, etc.;
• protection of trademarks and domain names in connection with pre-litigation actions (opposition proceedings before the various registration bodies), litigation (infringement and unfair competition claims) and alternative dispute resolution procedures (SYRELI proceedings, UDRP).