Attorneys at U.S.-based law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP announce new affiliate effort to support publishers in France

An acclaimed team of pro-publisher attorneys and experts in antitrust litigation and EU regulation has launched HBSS France, a Paris-based affiliated groupement with globally renowned U.S. class-action law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.

The new endeavour aims to champion the rights of publishers and digital business users through a specialization in antitrust/competition law and EU regulatory cases. HBSS France is comprised of a team of globally recognized attorneys and experts, pooling their resources against modern malfeasance for the greater good of consumers and others. The launch will take place at the Musée Baccarat, an ideal setting for recognizing Franco-American unions, located in the Place des États-Unis (“United States Square”) in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The event will bring together market experts, legal community members, law professors, economists, local journalists, as the firm’s team shared aspirations and goals for HBSS France.

The team is managed by Fayrouze Masmi-Dazi, founding partner of Dazi Avocats, a leading antitrust lawyer with more than 15 years of experience battling unfair restrictions and anticompetitive policies enforced by major corporations, including Apple Inc. She notably represents publishers of online content, particularly members of the French press, media agencies and ad techs against the tech giant regarding excessive restrictions allegedly imposed thorough its App Store. She represents members of the French press and online publishers in a massive follow-on damage claim against Alphabet Inc. after having successfully fought for press publishers against the same corporation in the neighbouring rights case before the French Authority. She battles in parallel in the field of EU digital regulation against the same major corporations. Masmi-Dazi has also guided her practice in intervening in mergers between powerful institutional players, investment funds and others, ensuring healthy competition for the benefit of the public. She also serves as a non-governmental advisor to the French Competition Authority at the International Competition Network and as an independent member of the French Superior Council of Literary and Artistic Property appointed by the French Minister of Culture for which she undertakes a study on interoperability in the economy of cultural contents.

“Hagens Berman has earnestly represented millions of people against well-defended corporations that sought to undermine publishers and consumers and flout competition in various markets,” Masmi-Dazi said. “I greatly look forward to our joint accomplishments and see no better alliance in this space than our transatlantic strategic approach to the challenges in the increasingly important areas of competition, unfair commercial practices, consumer and data protection in the digital economy.”

Co-leading the effort is Hagens Berman’s founder and managing partner, Steve Berman, a globally recognized plaintiffs’ attorney who has championed the rights of class members in the world’s largest lawsuits, including the largest settlement in world history, $260 billion against tobacco companies. Since founding Hagens Berman in 1993, Berman has secured historic victories, especially in the area of antitrust law, and continues to revolutionize the practice area through novel applications of the law and unmatched investigatory expertise. Under his leadership, the firm has secured settlements valued at $320 billion on behalf of consumers, employees and other class members.

“Fayrouze and her team have successfully represented many in France, and we believe this united effort will become greater than the sum of its parts, building better and bolder legal support on a larger scale,” Berman said.

The team also includes attorney Abigail D. Pershing who clerked at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France and also served as a fellow in the court’s Research Division, and associate Céline Hu whose practice is committed to advancing a merit-based and sustainable competitive digital future and is involved in active competition matters involving the French real estate sector. Legal counsel Umberto Valenza litigates EU competition cases in digital markets, including effective implementation of the EU Regulation Digital Market Act.

The team’s complex expertise ranges from digital regulation, privacy, AI to large-scale antitrust and competition litigation pertaining to the areas of tech, real estate, manufacturing and many of the world’s largest and most well-financed areas of business.

HBSS France joins Hagens Berman EMEA, a London-based law firm focusing its practice on competition and group litigation, as well as investor fraud, and currently leading litigation against Amazon related to its Buy Box algorithm. Together they expand the global reach of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP with U.S. offices in Seattle; Berkeley, Calif.; Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; New York; Phoenix and San Diego.

Find out more about HBSS France.

About HBSS France

HBSS France enables large-scale and complex legal actions involving antitrust and competition, especially in the areas of technology, platform economy, EU regulatory and consumer protection. HBSS France’s team is comprised of attorneys renowned for their expertise and investigatory dedication, having handled matters against some of the world’s largest companies. HBSS France is affiliated with Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, a U.S.-based law firm currently pursuing antitrust, price-fixing and price gouging allegations against various entities. The firm’s highlights since its founding in 1993 include State Tobacco Litigation ($260 billion settlement), Visa Check/MasterMoney Antitrust Litigation ($25 billion settlement), Volkswagen Emissions Litigation ($14.7 billion settlement), E-books Antitrust Litigation ($568 million settlement), NCAA Grant-in-Aid Scholarships Litigation ($208 million settlement), Apple iOS App Store Antitrust Litigation ($100 million settlement), Google Play Store Antitrust Litigation ($90 million settlement), as well as many other record-setting achievements.

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