About pronovem Information IP Download Links Events News Faq
We have detected that your browser does not have the Flash Player installed. You will need to install the Player to view the Flash content on this site. This can be downloaded free at : www.adobe.com
We have detected that your browser does not have the Flash Player installed. You will need to install the Player to view the Flash content on this site. This can be downloaded free at : www.adobe.com

Next events

INTA Annual Meeting
16-05-2009  »  20-05-2009
Seatle, Washington (US)

II. Profiles
pronovem, the Intellectual Property Group

pronovem group is an association of independent local offices providing services in the field of Intellectual Property (IP), particularly patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, domain names, etc.

pronovem group has locations in Brussels, Bruges, Liège, Lille, Luxembourg, and soon in the south of the Netherlands, which all share the same customer approach and apply the same quality policy. At each location pronovem group provides customised services for clients on the spot. This results in an extensive knowledge of the industrial network in each region.

Applicants or patentees are mainly from the Benelux countries, but recently also from France and the Netherlands. Moreover, we act as representatives for American and Japanese clients in approximately 20% of the applications. Each of our locations has at least one local patent attorney entitled to act before his/her National Patent Office as a result.



Historical background

pronovem group is an association of Office Van Malderen (BE), Office Meyers & Van Malderen (LU), Cabinet Matkowska et Associés (FR) and pronovem Marks (BE).

In the beginning of the seventies, Michel VAN MALDEREN founded Office Van Malderen in Belgium, while Ernest A. MEYERS created Meyers & Van Malderen in Luxembourg. Both offices were handling patents as well as trademark and design prosecutions since their beginning.

In 1998, Office Van Malderen incorporated Bureau Verplancke, an office specialised in trademarks, and hence created a new branch in Bruges. In 1999 and 2005 respectively, the activities of European Office Rothschild and “Bureau Bruxellois des Marques” (Merkenlijn), in short BML & Partners, were equally integrated.

Franck MATKOWSKA, French and European Patent Attorney, founded Cabinet Matkowska et Associés in cooperation with Office Van Malderen in northern France (region of Lille).

On 1 July 2006, OVM was subdivided into 2 parts: pronovem - Office Van Malderen is dealing with patent protection, whereas pronovem Marks is responsible for trademark and design protection.

Avenue Josse Goffin

Our activities

Patent Department

pronovem group has specialised in the direct representation of local and foreign clients (universities, research institutions, industries) with regard to the protection of intellectual property. Thus, we represent a wide-ranging group of internationally renowned clients.

Our multidisciplinary approach for providing legal services focuses upon our extensive skills to serve those involved in research, development and commercialisation of processes and products in chemical, electrical and mechanical arts, but also in more specialised branches such as biotechnology, medicine, software applications and commercial methods as well as in microelectronics.

pronovem group has developed its own computer software giving an on-line access to any information on clients and cases, particularly patent specifications and data related to patent and utility model rights. Databases allowing the management and the treatment of annuities as well as the management of national proceedings of patents and patent applications have thus been created.

The main working areas in pronovem group's patent section are stated hereafter:


Trademarks and Industrial Designs Department

pronovem group has access to updated Benelux (OBPI-BBIE), International (OMPI), and Community / European (OAMI) as well as national data banks to verify the status of a trademark or design, to carry out the searching job of antecedents, to control trademarks that can be considered as equivalent, and more in general, to give all the necessary information that enables to start a trademark procedure.

pronovem group is also able to provide information on filed and registered designs as well as to give advice for the filing of industrial design] applications and/or registrations in different countries.

The trademark section covers the following fields of activity:
Profile Partners and associates

Partners

Joëlle Van Malderen (Ms)
Joëlle Van Malderen graduated from the University of Brussels (ULB) with a master degree in Civil Engineering (Physics). She joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 1989 after spending some years as an assistant-lecturer at the University of Brussels. Her area of specialisation is mostly physics, including industrial processes, electro-mechanics, general process engineering and electronics. She is a registered Belgian and European Patent Attorney with the Belgian Office of Industrial Property (OPRI) and with the European Patent Office EPO since 1993. She is also a registered Trademark Agent with the OHIM concerning community trademarks and with the Benelux Trademark Office (OBPI-BBIE) and the Benelux Office for Designs and Models. She is an active member of the LES, the FICPI, the AIPPI, the EPI and the Chambre des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle de Belgique (CCPIB). She is the Belgian representative at the Council of the EPI. She is also acting as a tutor for the candidates to the European qualification examination.

Eric Van Malderen (Mr)
Eric Van Malderen has a master degree in Biology obtained at the University of Brussels (ULB) and is a graduate from CEIPI (Strasbourg). For about eight months he was a trainee at the Patent Department of the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 1990 bringing with him his expertise in the area of biotechnology and medical technology. He is a registered Patent Attorney with the Belgian Office of Industrial Property (OPRI). He is also a registered trademark agent with the OHIM for community trademarks and with the Benelux Trademark Office (OBPI-BBIE) and the Benelux Office for Designs and Models. He is an active member of the LES, the FICPI, the AIPPI and the BBA (Belgian Bio-industries Association).

Franck MATKOWSKA (Mr)
Franck Matkowska has a master degree obtained at the Institut Supérieur d’Electronique du Nord (I.S.E.N.) in France and is an Engineer in electronics. He is a registered Patent Attorney with the National French Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) and with the European Patent Office (EPO). He has a 10-year experience at a French law firm. His domains of specialisation are the handling of litigation procedures concerning patents in France and of opposition procedures with the European Patent Office.

Dominique RIFON (Mr)
Dominique Rifon graduated from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) with a master degree in Law and from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) with a degree in economic law (LLM). Lawyer at the Brussels Bar from 1986 to 1994, where he specialized in procedures of Intellectual Property (IP), he became the in-house jurist of MOULINSART SA, owner of the worldwide commercial rights of the famous comic book characters TINTIN & MILOU as well as of the HERGE Foundation. From 1999, he continued to work as IP-consultant (using his broad specialized experience) with several consultancy firms to join in 2006 the pronovem group. He currently teaches IP matter at the IHECS (Institut des Hautes Etudes des Communications Sociales). He is registered as a Trademark Agent before the OBPI-BBIE for Benelux Trademarks and Models and before the OHIM for Community Trademarks and Models.

Olessia VENITE-AURORE (Ms)
Olessia Venite-Aurore has a master degree in Biochemistry obtained at the Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg (ULP). She is also a European Patent Attorney. After working for some years for a French agrofood group, especially in agricultural products, genetics and plant diseases, she moved to Belgium for being employed by a Pharmaceutical Company involved in diagnostic and therapeutic microbiology. She joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in Brussels at the beginning of 2004.

Marc LERHO (Mr)
Marc Lerho obtained a PhD in Chemistry/Physics at the University of Liège (ULg). He joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 1999 to share his strong experience in the industry of mechanics, physics and chemistry and to deal with intellectual property matters relating to these fields. He is registered as a Belgian patent attorney (OPRI) since 2003 and passed the qualifying exam to be a registered patent attorney before the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2005.

Dieter HECK (Mr)
Dieter Heck has a master degree in Chemistry obtained at the Université de Liège (ULg). He worked for about 15 years as a technical and R&D representative responsible for different international companies specialised in the fabrication and the treatment of synthetic foams. He joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 2001 to reinforce the patent attorneys team in all domains related to chemistry. He is registered as Belgian patent attorney (OPRI) since 2004 and passed the qualifying exam to be a registered patent attorney before the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2006.

Associates: Scientific Department

Marc KESSLER (Mr) obtained a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at the Louis Pasteur University (ULP) in Strasbourg. He worked as a research scientist in a drug discovery company in Switzerland for about 4 years. He graduated from the CEIPI (Strasbourg) in 2005 before joining Office Meyers and Van Malderen in Luxembourg.

Michel GILIO (Mr) obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL). He conducted applied research on liquid film coating at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the K.U.Leuven for six years and worked thereafter in a thermal spray coating company. His expertise covers the fields of production technology, metrology and fluid dynamics. He joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 2006.

Greet BOON (Ms) obtained a PhD in Theoretical Physical Chemistry at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). After eight years of fundamental quantum chemical research on molecular (dis)similarity at the Department of General Chemistry of the VUB, she joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in April 2007 to apply her skills in domains related to chemistry and physics.

Frédéric MARTEAU (Mr) is graduated from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) with a master degree in Physics and a master degree in Civil Engineering (Physics). After completing a master degree in Biotechnology from Université Mons-Hainaut/Université Libre de Bruxelles (Joint program), he gained research experience in the field of pharmacology and immunology through the completion of a Ph.D. at the School of Medicine (ULB). In 2007, he joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen to apply his skills in domains related to biotechnology, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, physics, including industrial processes, electro-mechanics, general process engineering and electronics.

Paul-André GOLLIER (Mr) obtained a PhD in material sciences at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). He then joined Baxter as research engineer where he developed new packaging and polymer blends. He worked also 5 years in an R&D centre (CERTECH) developing new polymer formulations for several industrial fields. He joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in November 2007.

Philippe DE DIESBACH (Mr) graduated as biochemical engineer, obtained a PhD in Bio-medical sciences at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) and thereafter worked for five years in the multidisciplinary field of cell biology. He joined pronovem group, in 2007, to share his skills in healthcare, biology, biochemistry and chemistry.

Astrid DE RO (Ms) has a master degree in Civil Engineering (Material Sciences) obtained at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL). She worked 10 years at the Center of Research in Metallurgy (CRM) on the development of new products for automotive, building and railway applications. She joined pronovem group, in May 2008, to apply her skills in domains related to metallurgy and material sciences.

Associates: Legal Department

Marianne STANISLAUS (Ms) has a master degree in Law obtained at the University of Liège (ULg) and practises international law with emphasis on trademarks, designs and copyrights. Her expertise also extends to advising on copyright and registered design matters. She is a registered Trademark Agent before the OHIM for community trademarks, the Benelux Trademark Office (OBPI-BBIE) and the Benelux Office for Designs and Models.

Nicole DESMET (Ms) joined pronovem - Office Van Malderen in 1998 when the branch in Bruges was established. She has more than 30 years of extensive experience in the administrative and judicial prosecution of trademarks, models and designs. She is a registered Trademark Agent with the OHIM for community trademarks, the Benelux Trademark Office (OBPI-BBIE) and the Benelux Office for Designs and Models.

Christelle DUPIRE (Ms) is a lawyer from the University of Lyon. She is a registered Trademark Agent before the National French Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) and before the OHIM. She has a 10-year experience in trademarks, designs and copyright (prosecution and litigation) and especially assists Cabinet MATKOWSKA et Associés (Lille).

Stéphanie DUJARDIN (Ms) graduated from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) with a master degree in Law. She was lawyer at the Brussels Bar for 2 years and worked for 4 years as IP-consultant in another consultancy firm. She recently joined pronovem group. Her expertise covers trademarks, designs, domain names and copyright law. She is a registered Trademark Agent before the OHIM for community trademarks and designs and before the OBPI-BBIE for Benelux trademarks and designs. She is also member of the BMM and ECTA.

Our network

pronovem group has established a world wide network of contacts and agents, with whom we maintain a close professional relationship.

The various partners of the pronovem group are members of several professional I.P. associations. Some of them are listed below:
On a national level, pronovem group or its partners are member of a series of associations such as the Belgian Bio-industries Association (BBA), the ANBPPI (National Belgian Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property), the CCPIB (Advisory Chamber for Industrial Property in Belgium), Chambers for trade and commerce of Brussels, Bruges, Gent and Liège, the Van Craesbeek Foundation, the K VIV (Koninklijke Vlaamse Ingenieursvereniging), the TI K VIV (Technologisch Instituut van de K VIV), l’A.Ir.Br (Association of Engineers related to the Free University of Brussels), the Flanders Export Club, the Dutch/Walloon Export Club, etc.

Languages

The working languages of our offices for drafting and prosecuting patents in Europe, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, are English, French, German and Dutch. About half of the administrative staff has a linguistic training (master degree).

Furthermore, if necessary, we are able to work (e.g. to correspond) in Spanish, Italian and Danish.