MERIAL, owner of the famous trademark, FRONTLINE, designating veterinary products, i.e antiparasitic, sued the company VIRBAC before the First Instance Civil court of Lyon, due to the filing and use of its trademark FIPROLINE as well as for unfair competition acts.

MERIAL has obtained the nullity of the FIPROLINE trademark on the grounds that "the trademark FIPROLINE reproduced almost perfectly the term FIPRONIL which is the Nonproprietary Name of the veterinary product sold and thereby indicates the active ingredient it contains ."

Virbac was also convicted of unfair competition " for having filed a trademark consisting almost entirely of the name of the active ingredient it contains."

The decision is provisionally enforceable and under appeal.  IP Partner Isabelle Leroux advised MERIAL in its lawsuit against Virbac.