FEPI at the heart of the global fight against counterfeiting

Organised by Unifab around the theme "Geopolitics, legislation, technologies... and even vocabulary! What new influences on intellectual property?", the forum, which has become essential and internationally recognized over the years, once again brought together renowned speakers in front of an audience of SME leaders and intellectual property professionals from around the world.

Over two days, seven roundtables took place on topics as varied as the consequences of current international and geopolitical events on the fight against counterfeiting, new trends in attacks on industrial property, and the practices of different countries to protect innovation and creation.

Reflection, information, and networking were once again on the agenda.

The presence of the INPI: a strong renewed signal

As a long-standing partner of Unifab, INPI is committed on a daily basis to promoting the protection of intellectual property and the fight against counterfeiting, whether through international cooperation, strengthening legislation or raising public awareness.

The Institute was therefore legitimately present, as every year, represented by Pascal Faure, its director general.

At the opening of the second day, during his speech, Pascal Faure emphasized the importance of "Continue to support companies so that they can better integrate the protection and enhancement of their intangible assets into their development strategies to foster the emergence of French and European champions."

He also suggested considering certain developments that could facilitate access to intellectual property and thus protect against counterfeiting, such as the possibility for companies to file their patent applications in English.

Finally, he mentioned a project currently underway at the INPI which aims to implement the new procedure for registering designs in accordance with European legislation.

"Beyond the legal adaptation, this approach primarily aims to enhance the value of this title which, wrongly, is not used enough even though it is highly praised by those who have taken it up, whether to promote its aesthetic innovations or to defend them in court.", he said.

By issuing patents, trademarks, and designs, the INPI plays a central role in the protection of industrial property and is the primary point of contact for public authorities, innovators, and entrepreneurs. It also provides the secretariat for the National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee (CNAC).

The CNAC

The CNAC was also represented by its two co-presidents: Catherine Dumas, Senator for Paris, and Christophe Blanchet, Member of Parliament for Calvados.

During his speech, Christophe Blanchet recalled the risks associated with counterfeiting, its impact on health, but also its link with the financing of organized crime. "If we do not react quickly to counterfeiters, particularly those from certain Asian countries, we will not be able to stop this scourge, which is only accelerating and is often strategically carried out by foreign entities."he hammered.

For her part, Catherine Dumas, who also spoke, emphasized the socio-economic aspects of intellectual property, recalling that "Defending intellectual property means defending our jobs, our ideas, our future."

Source: European Intellectual Property Forum (FEPI) 2026