Fabien Lalande.

About Fabien.

Fabien's practice runs the full brand lifecycle: clearance searching before a name is committed, prosecution and portfolio strategy, opposition and non-use proceedings, and enforcement against infringers and counterfeiters, including coordinating cross-border enforcement programmes with investigators and foreign counsel. Beyond contentious work he drafts and negotiates the commercial layer: licences, assignments, coexistence agreements, settlement deeds, and the IP due diligence inside corporate transactions.

At Neo Legal he leads the firm's trademark practice for the UAE market, where the first-to-file rule makes timing the whole game: clearance and filing strategy across the UAE and GCC, routing international portfolios through the Madrid Protocol, oppositions and cancellations, licensing and franchise structures, and anti-counterfeiting programmes for brands exposed to the region's re-export trade. Filings are executed through registered local trademark agents, with Fabien directing strategy end to end.

His style is the opposite of the IP lawyer stereotype: keep it simple, distil the complexity, and give the client a clear commercial answer. He treats client brands, in his own words, with the same care as if they were his own.

Frequently asked.

What does Fabien Lalande advise on in the UAE?
Fabien leads Neo Legal's UAE trademark practice: clearance and first-to-file filing strategy across the UAE and GCC, Madrid Protocol routing, oppositions and cancellations, licensing and franchising, and anti-counterfeiting programmes for brands exposed to the region's re-export trade.

Why does first-to-file matter for trademarks in the UAE?
Because the UAE grants rights to whoever files first, not whoever used the brand first. A brand that enters the market before filing can find its own name registered by a squatter or distributor. Fabien's consistent advice: clear and file before market entry — the filing costs a fraction of the recovery action.

What sectors has Fabien worked with?
Nearly eight years in the IP group of a leading commercial firm acting for major international brands across fashion, luxury, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, construction, and food and beverage — plus advising European semi-governmental bodies on geographical indications. He is a native French speaker with intermediate Spanish.