What Laurent & Charras does

Laurent & Charras, operating commercially as IPSILON, is a European intellectual property services firm headquartered in France (Dardilly/Paris) and founded in 1920. The firm positions itself as a "One Stop Shop" for IP, delivering the full lifecycle from filing, prosecution, registration, maintenance, and renewal through IP audit, strategy, contracts, valuation, and tax advisory, to enforcement via litigation, mediation, and anti-counterfeiting. Service breadth is reinforced by specialized practices in digital assets, copyright, domain names, geographical indications, plant variety rights, and trade secrets. Underlying delivery is expertise-driven rather than technology-driven: there is no proprietary software, API, or application, and the firm's core technology is its bench of CPI-certified patent attorneys (Brevets/Marques), lawyers, mediators, contract jurists, tax specialists, financial evaluation experts, and patent engineers.

Geographically, IPSILON operates 20+ offices across France (Annecy, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Mulhouse, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Saint-Étienne, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Tours), Belgium (Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, Louvain-La-Neuve), Germany (Karlsruhe near the German Patent Office and Munich), Luxembourg, and New York, with Karlsruhe's placement suggesting deliberate proximity to a key patent-granting authority. The firm serves 14+ industry verticals — including Chemical, Engineering, Software/ICT, Life Sciences, Materials, Pharmaceuticals, Physics, Healthcare, Automotive, Energy, Aerospace, Electronics, Food & Beverage, and Consumer Goods & Retail — and dozens of sub-verticals ranging from CleanTech, FinTech, and Blockchain to MedTech, SpaceTech, and Battery Technology.

The business model is classic professional services: private, privately held, with quote-based fees tailored to engagement scope; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct and field-driven through the office network, supplemented by thought-leadership content (e.g., 2026 analyses on AI-assisted inventions and trade secret jurisprudence), industry award participation (Leaders League Alliance Summit 2026 — Best IP Advisor France – Trademarks), and recurring third-party recognition from IAM (IAM 1000/Patent 1000) and IP Stars. Customer concentration, revenue, and headcount trend data are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Laurent & Charras

Legal name

IPSILON

Website

https://laurentcharras.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Laurent & Charras (IPSILON) is a French-founded (1920) intellectual property services firm operating 20+ offices across France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the United States, delivering patent, trademark, design, strategy, valuation, litigation, and anti-counterfeiting services to corporate clients across 14+ industry verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB), Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Intellectual property services
• Patent prosecution
• Trademark registration
• IP litigation
• IP strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Dardilly

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Laurent & Charras is an intellectual property law firm that helps businesses protect, defend, and leverage their intangible assets. The firm offers patent filing and prosecution, trademark and design registration, IP contracts, IP audit and valuation, litigation and mediation, anti-counterfeiting enforcement, due diligence, and IP tax advisory services. It operates a multi-office network spanning France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the United States, serving clients across sectors such as chemistry, life sciences, engineering, software/ICT, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and consumer goods.

Product overview

IPSILON is an intellectual property (IP) services firm operating as a multi-service platform offering comprehensive "One Stop Shop" IP services. The portfolio includes three main service categories: (1) Procédures PI covering patents, trademarks, and designs; (2) Stratégie et valorisation de la PI covering IP audit, contracts, and valuation; and (3) Défense des droits de PI covering litigation, mediation, and anti-counterfeiting. The firm also provides specialized services including IP due diligence, tax advisory, geographical indications, domain names, plant variety protection, trade secrets, digital assets, copyright, IP awareness, monitoring, and research. IPSILON serves multiple industry sectors including Chemistry, Engineering, Software and ICT, Materials, Pharmacy, Physics, Health, and Life Sciences across offices in France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Services (Brevets) Drafting, filing, and prosecution of patent applications before national and international IP offices (EPO, PCT, national offices). For inventors, R&D teams, and businesses seeking protection for technical innovations across jurisdictions.
• Trademark Services (Marques) Trademark search, filing, registration, renewal, and portfolio management before national, EU (EUIPO), and international (WIPO) trademark offices. For brand owners and marketing-driven businesses.
• Industrial Design Services (Dessins et modèles) Filing and registration of industrial designs and models with national, EU (EUIPO), and international design systems to protect the visual appearance of products.
• IP Litigation (Contentieux) Litigation and dispute resolution related to patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, and trade secrets before national courts and specialized IP tribunals.
• IP Mediation (Médiation) Mediation and alternative dispute resolution services for IP conflicts, including trademark coexistence and licensing disputes.
• IP Audit (Audit PI) Comprehensive review and audit of a client's IP portfolio to identify gaps, risks, and optimization opportunities across patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, and trade secrets.
• IP Valuation (Valorisation) Valuation of intangible assets including patents, trademarks, designs, and know-how for transactions, licensing, financing, or accounting purposes.
• IP Strategy (Stratégie PI) Strategic consulting to align IP portfolios with business objectives, including filing strategy, geographic coverage, and competitive positioning.
• IP Contracts (Contrats) Drafting and negotiation of IP-related agreements including license agreements, assignment agreements, coexistence agreements, R&D agreements, and technology transfer contracts.
• Anti-Counterfeiting Enforcement (Lutte contre la contrefaçon) Enforcement actions against counterfeit and infringing goods, including customs watch, seizure operations, and online marketplace takedowns.
• IP Due Diligence (Due Diligence PI)

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bird & Bird: Global law firm with one of the largest dedicated IP practices worldwide, advising on patents, trademarks, designs, and IP litigation across Europe and beyond. A larger incumbent that competes with IPSILON for European IP mandates from a full-service platform.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with a leading IP practice covering patent prosecution, IP litigation, and IP strategy across major European and US markets. A larger incumbent with overlapping IP capabilities competing for sophisticated French and European clients.

Emerging players

• Dennemeyer: Luxembourg-based IP service provider combining legal IP services with technology-driven IP management platforms. Comparable to IPSILON given Luxembourg office presence, while representing a more technology-enabled delivery model.

Direct peers

• Marks & Clerk: UK-headquartered IP firm with offices across Europe, Asia, and the Americas providing patent and trademark prosecution, IP litigation, and IP strategy services. Comparable pan-European IP boutique footprint and similar service portfolio.
• Mewburn Ellis: UK-based intellectual property law firm focused on patent prosecution and IP litigation with strong life sciences and engineering practices. Comparable mid-sized European IP boutique with similar technical sector emphasis.
• Plasseraud IP: Leading French IP law firm offering patent prosecution, trademark registration, design rights, and IP litigation. Closest direct peer to IPSILON, headquartered in Paris with similar mid-sized boutique positioning and French/European focus.
• Novagraaf: European IP service provider with offices in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, covering patents, trademarks, and IP strategy. Highly comparable multi-jurisdictional IP boutique model similar to IPSILON's European office network.
• Arnold & Siedsma: Benelux-headquartered IP firm with offices in the Netherlands and Belgium providing patent, trademark, and design services. Highly comparable mid-sized European IP boutique, particularly relevant given IPSILON's strong Belgian office presence.
• Bardehle Pagenberg: Leading German IP law firm specializing in patent prosecution, litigation, and trademark law with strong presence near the German Patent Office. Comparable to IPSILON's German/Munich office presence as a European IP specialist.
• Casalonga: French intellectual property law firm founded in 1911, providing patent, trademark, design, and IP litigation services in France and Europe. Directly comparable to IPSILON on French-headquartered IP boutique model and full-lifecycle IP service offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/laurent_charras

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Laurent & Charras