Franck SOUTOUL

INLEX, the intellectual property practice associated with founder and European Trademark Attorney Franck Soutoul, has been named IP Validation Law Firm of the Year in France at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. The recognition underlines the firm's position as one of the leading specialist providers of trademark and IP advisory services in France, and its particular strength in the validation and prosecution work that secures rights across multiple jurisdictions.

INLEX was founded in Paris in 1995 by Franck Soutoul and Eric Schahl, and has since grown into a recognised operator at European level. Mr Soutoul, who brings more than thirty years' experience to the field, continues to lead the firm's development across both Europe and Africa. Under his direction the practice has built a team that includes a substantial complement of European Trademark Attorneys, specialised IP lawyers and experienced paralegals, giving it the depth required to manage large and geographically dispersed portfolios.

The firm concentrates deliberately on the non-patent side of intellectual property, supporting clients on trademarks, industrial designs and domain names. This focus allows it to develop real depth in brand protection, from clearance and filing through to opposition, cancellation and enforcement. Its prosecution work spans a wide geography, taking in the European Union, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as the African Intellectual Property Organization and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, reflecting a practice built to serve clients whose brands travel across borders.

It is this cross-border validation capability that lies behind the firm's award for IP validation work in France. Validating and maintaining rights in numerous territories requires both technical command of each system and the coordination to manage filings, deadlines and challenges at scale. INLEX has positioned itself as a firm able to act as a single point of contact for such programmes, combining French roots with an established reach into European and African markets, an approach that has made it a natural choice for businesses, law firms and entrepreneurs seeking coherent protection for their brands.

Franck Soutoul is widely recognised within the trademark community and has contributed extensively to commentary on IP developments in Europe and Africa. His long stewardship of INLEX has given the firm a consistent identity as a boutique focused squarely on brand and design rights rather than the full breadth of IP. The Corporate INTL Global Awards recognise firms that demonstrate specialist excellence and a clear command of their field within a jurisdiction, and in naming INLEX IP Validation Law Firm of the Year in France for 2024, the awards acknowledge both the firm's technical expertise and the international reach that distinguishes its validation practice.