Guide for French Patent Application Process

Patent Trademark

France Profile

France, officially the French Republic, consists of mainland France and several of its overseas territories. France borders the Bay of Biscay to the west, the English Channel to the northwest, the North Sea to the north, Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Germany, Switzerland and Italy to the east, the MediterraRead more

France Profile

France, officially the French Republic, consists of mainland France and several of its overseas territories. France borders the Bay of Biscay to the west, the English Channel to the northwest, the North Sea to the north, Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Germany, Switzerland and Italy to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Monaco, Spain and Andorra.

French Intellectual Property Legal System

  • Intellectual Property Code

International Organization/Agreement

  • Patent Law Treaty
  • Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks
  • Trademark Law Treaty
  • Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
  • Patent Cooperation Treaty
  • The Strasbourg Agreement on the International Patent Classification
  • Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs
  • "Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization"
  • Nice Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks
  • Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs
  • Madrid Agreement on the International Registration of Marks
  • Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
  • Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks
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Filing Language
French

申请流程 Application Process Flow

发明专利申请流程 Invention

Name of Patent Office

INPI

English: L'Institut national de la propriété industrielle, abbreviation: INPI

Website: www.inpi.fr

French Invention Patent Search: Recherche avancée - Data INPI

  • Since the revision of the Patent Law in France in 1968, the numbering rules for invention patent applications are as follows:
    • [year of application] + [5-digit/6-digit serial number]
  • Invention patent applications are numbered from 00001, such as: FR061471, while invention patent applications are numbered from 2000001, such as: FR2895509 A1 (first publication); the authorized announcement number is the same as the publication number: FR 2895509B1 (secondary publication).
  • If the applicant fails to submit a search request and pay relevant fees to INPI within 18 months from the date of patent application, INPI will issue a utility certificate and an attached supplementary utility certificate to the applicant in accordance with the law (the supplementary utility certificate system was established in 1990) November 26), while the patent application number and the invention patent number of the utility certificate are arranged in the same serial number numbering system, such as: FR0756009; FR2902842A3; FR 2902842B3.
  • France's design patent application number coding rules have been adopted since 2010
    • [4-digit AD year] + [4-digit serial number]
  • The French Supplementary Protection Certificate format is:
    • 【FR】+【2-digit AD year】+【C】+【4-digit serial number】

Filing Language: French

via Paris Convention 

Necessary documents:

  1. Abstract
  2. Abstract Drawing
  3. Claim
  4. Specification
  5. Drawing
 

Attachments (if any)

  1. Sequence Listing (PDF format and TXT format)
  2. Deposited Receipt of Microorganism and French Translation
  3. Viability Statement of Microorganism and French Translation
  4. Certified Priority Document
  5. Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of Priority
  6. Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
  7. Notification issued by CNIPA notify the applicant the application has passed through the security review.
  8. A copy of the Articles of Incorporation or the Business Register of Incorporation
  9. Reference documents cited in seacrch report from other countries based on the same priority claim under the request of INPI

 

 

20 years

  • via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
  • via Validation of European Patent in EPO member states: 3 months from the date of European patent grant.

France revised the patent law and conduct a formality and substantive examination for invention patent application since May 22, 2020. For patent applications filed after the revision of the patent law, in addition to examining industrial applicability and novelty, it is also necessary to examine inventiveness. In France, an invention patent and a utility model patent may be filed simultaneously on the same subject matter.

The novelty grace period is 6 months before the filing date/priority date.

2-3 years

  • Grant Fee: The grant fee must be paid within 2 months from the date of issuance of the grant notice.
  • Annuity: Annuity should be paid year by year starting from the 1st year of application and the annual fee for the 1st year is included in the filing fee. The annual fee for the 2nd year should be paid on the anniversary date of the application. If the annual fee is overdue, the applicant can pay it within a grace period of 6 months, and pay a panelty at the same time.

Yes. Patent Office accepts "Unintentional" requests for restoration of the right of priority.

Yes

No