Sandrine Bouvier-Ravon quoted in JUVE Patent regarding the Lufthansa Technik vs Thales dispute, ranked among the “Top 10 patent cases in France”

Sandrine Bouvier-Ravon, partner at Plasseraud IP Avocats, represented Thales in the French part of the international dispute against Lufthansa Technik, alongside Astronics and Panasonic.
 
On 6 March 2026, the specialist publication JUVE Patent published its annual overview of the “Top 10 patent cases in France” for 2025. Among the most notable cases is the dispute Lufthansa Technik vs Thales, concerning the validity of a European patent relating to an electrical power supply device designed to improve safety for passengers using onboard power sockets in aircraft.
 
In this case, the French courts initially declared the patent invalid for lack of inventive step at first instance and on appeal. Following an appeal by Lufthansa, the Cour de cassation overturned the previous judgment in early 2025 and referred the case back to the Paris Court of Appeal to be heard by a different panel of judges, in order to reassess the inventive step analysis and the definition of the person skilled in the art in the specific context of aviation technology.
 
This decision, which may influence the assessment of inventive step in highly specialised technological sectors, led JUVE Patent to include this dispute among the ten most significant patent cases handled in France in 2025.
 
Read the article by Konstanze Richter: Top 10 patent cases in France 2025.