An IP diagnostic is run before due diligence, never during it.
Intellectual property audit, quantified mapping of exposures and a report directly usable by an investor. So you know what the investor will find, before they do.
The scope of the engagement.
An investor always opens the intellectual property file first. The engagement covers the five dimensions they will examine: trademarks, patents and trade secrets, copyrights, know-how, assignment and licence agreements. Each asset is attributed to its holder, qualified under its applicable regime, and set against the value it carries within the company.
Intellectual property audit
Trademarks (France and United States), patents and trade secrets, copyrights (code, design, editorial content), know-how, assignment and licence agreements. Each asset is attributed to its holder, qualified under its applicable regime, and set against the value it carries within the company.
Mapping of contractual risks
Each exposure is qualified (incomplete ownership, contractual exposure, conflicting prior right) then assessed by severity, probability and estimated financial impact. Prioritised action items before any start of work.
Prior art search
French databases (INPI) and international databases (USPTO, WIPO Madrid for the transatlantic configuration). Identification of potential conflicts before they are raised by a third party or an investor.
Contract review
Assignments of rights, licence agreements, founders' agreements, contracts with technical service providers. Identification of incomplete chains of title, restrictive clauses and uncovered assignment undertakings.
Actionable report
A single report, formatted to be passed into the hands of an investor or an acquirer without reformatting. Read-out by video call to walk through the findings and decide on priority actions.
Recent operations.
Funding rounds, corporate structurings, acquisitions of intellectual property assets. Browse recent matters, organised by category of operation.
A structured approach, calibrated to your stakes.
Whatever the size, every engagement follows the same progression. No action is undertaken until the scope is set.
An in-depth first exchange to understand your situation, your assets and your objectives. Not a sales call, a substantive conversation. Initial consultation at no charge, 30 minutes, EN or FR.
A documented diagnostic with prioritised recommendations: what is urgent, what is strategic, what can wait. Written quote or scope agreed before any start of work.
Implementation, drafting, filing, negotiation. A single point of contact, in France as in the United States. Regular progress updates, clean final deliverable.
An in-depth first exchange to understand your situation, your assets and your objectives. Not a sales call, a substantive conversation. Initial consultation at no charge, 30 minutes, EN or FR.
A documented diagnostic with prioritised recommendations: what is urgent, what is strategic, what can wait. Written quote or scope agreed before any start of work.
Implementation, drafting, filing, negotiation. A single point of contact, in France as in the United States. Regular progress updates, clean final deliverable.
An in-depth first exchange to understand your situation, your assets and your objectives. Not a sales call, a substantive conversation. Initial consultation at no charge, 30 minutes, EN or FR.
A documented diagnostic with prioritised recommendations: what is urgent, what is strategic, what can wait. Written quote or scope agreed before any start of work.
Implementation, drafting, filing, negotiation. A single point of contact, in France as in the United States. Regular progress updates, clean final deliverable.
Romain Waïss-Moreau.
Intellectual property and corporate law
Romain Waïss-Moreau practised for 13 years at leading firms before establishing his own Law firm. He works at the intersection of corporate law and intellectual property, for founders, executives and investors whose operations span France and the United States.
- Intellectual property is not a specialist subject, it is a matter of governance.
It determines the value of a company more durably than most of its other assets. It deserves the same attention as a shareholders' agreement or a financing plan.
- A French IP practice that ignores the American market today gives incomplete advice.
The two jurisdictions illuminate one another. The strength of an IP portfolio is measured less and less on one side only.
- The role of the Attorney is to make trade-offs explicit before they are signed.
Corporate law has no reason to remain unreadable to those it serves. An executive who decides with full understanding makes better decisions than one who defers.
Two depths.
Depending on the geographic scope and the imminence of a transatlantic operation, the diagnostic takes one of these two forms. Fees agreed at scoping, quote issued before any start of work.
from
€2,500
- Full audit across the five dimensions of intellectual property.
- Quantified and qualified mapping of risks.
- Actionable, prioritised report, delivered by video call.
from
€4,500
- French audit combined with an in-depth audit in the United States (USPTO, WIPO Madrid).
- Filing strategy across France and the United States, calibrated to the commercial target.
- Report directly usable in transatlantic due diligence, with no reformatting.
Frequently asked questions.
Another question? Write to us
An investor audit examines intellectual property to identify the risks of the target, from the fund's side. The Protect diagnostic reads the same material from the executive's side: what should be consolidated as a priority, what can be presented as it stands, what must be accepted. The two perspectives are complementary.
Yes. The structure and depth of the report are calibrated to pass into the hands of an investor or an acquirer without rework. The American components (USPTO, WIPO Madrid) are presented in the format expected on the United States side. This is the very purpose of the transatlantic configuration.
The matter is qualified and quantified at read-out: financial impact, probability, severity. IP litigation is not handled directly. Referral to a top-tier IP litigation firm, with documented handover. The diagnostic becomes the foundation of the defence strategy, without replaying the audit.
A substantial interim version can be delivered for the first iteration with the investor, dense enough to frame the conversation. The final report is delivered afterwards, incorporating the questions raised by the fund during the exchange. No reformatting on your part.
A confidentiality undertaking is signed before scoping. Where an investor is identified, a specific confidentiality undertaking is signed for the operation. Sensitive exchanges are routed through an encrypted channel if the phase requires it. No item of the file leaves our systems.
If your IP firm coordinates closely with your corporate firm on cross-cutting matters (capital structure, strategic contracts, American exposure), nothing justifies a change. Where the two practices do not communicate, the Protect diagnostic brings both perspectives together in a single report, run by a single practitioner.
An intellectual property perimeter can be diagnosed in thirty minutes of conversation.
You set out your situation. We identify what structures your perimeter, what weakens it, and which decision should be taken first.
