Trademark Registration in France

Registering a trademark in France is essential for establishing ownership and commercial exclusivity. A registered trademark prevents competitors from using similar signs, strengthens your brand’s legal protection, and increases its value as your business expands into the French market and the rest of the EU.

France is a first-to-file jurisdiction, which means that, in most cases, rights to a trademark are granted to the first person or company to file, not the first to use. To obtain protection, you can either file:

• A national French trademark before the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) at http://www.inpi.fr, which automatically covers several French territories (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barthélemy, French Saint-Martin, French Guiana, Réunion Island, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and can be extended to French Polynesia; or
• A **European Union Trademark (EUTM), which protects France and all other EU member states and is filed with the EUIPO. More details EU trademark reistration.

If you register a combined trademark (word + logo), your exclusive rights are limited to the exact configuration as filed and registered. If you also want protection for the word element and the figurative element separately, it is advisable to file additional word and/or figurative mark applications.

France is also a member state of the Madrid Protocol Madrid Member States, so you can extend an existing international registration to France via the Madrid System. You can find more information about this route here: /madrid-system-trademark-registration.

No documents are necessary.

However, in practice, requirements vary depending on your brand, and most applicants will need to provide:

• The trademark (word and/or logo),
• The list of goods and/or services (Nice classes),
• The applicant’s details (name and address).

INPI may request additional information only in specific circumstances.

If any clarifications or supporting materials are needed later, our experts will guide you through each step and ensure your application remains complete and compliant.

For straightforward cases, the average time to register a trademark in France is about 8 months. This timeframe may be longer if INPI raises objections on absolute grounds (for example, descriptiveness or lack of distinctiveness), or if third parties file oppositions or observations during the publication period.

Throughout the process, your dedicated consultant will monitor the status of your application and keep you informed, so you don’t have to worry about deadlines, responses, or follow-ups.

If your application is accepted, your trademark is registered for 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely for further periods of 10 years. Renewal can be requested up to 6 months before the expiration date and during a 6-month grace period after expiration, subject to late renewal fees. Once registered, your mark is entered into the official French register and you can enforce your exclusive rights in France and in all automatically covered French territories.

To keep those rights active, your trademark must be renewed on time. To avoid missed deadlines and protect your registration long term, you can rely on our Trademark Renewal Service in France, and let our team handle the reminders, filings, and formalities for you.

Yes. In France, once your application is filed, INPI will publish the application and start examining it on absolute grounds (legality, distinctiveness, etc.), but it does not check for prior identical or similar trademarks.

Owners of earlier rights are responsible for monitoring new publications. If necessary, they must act within 2 months from the publication date to:

• File an opposition based on a prior right (such as an earlier registered trademark), or
• Submit observations on absolute grounds (for example, arguing that the proposed mark is descriptive).

The chances of success in opposition will depend on factors such as the similarity of the signs, the overlap between the goods/services, and the strength and use of the earlier right.

Use of a trademark is not required to obtain registration in France. However, once registered, the mark must be used genuinely in the French territory. If it remains unused for five (5) consecutive years after registration—or since its last genuine use—it becomes vulnerable to cancellation for non-use. The use must be real and carried out on a commercial scale.

If France requests proof of use, evidence, or supporting declarations at any point, iGERENT will guide you through the process and help you prepare all required documentation.

France recognizes three-dimensional (3D) trademarks, allowing businesses to protect distinctive product shapes or packaging before the INPI. To register a 3D mark, the shape must be distinctive and capable of distinguishing your goods or services from those of others. It cannot:

• Result exclusively from the nature of the goods,
• Be necessary to obtain a technical result, or
• Give a substantial value to the goods.

The application must include clear graphical representations from several angles so that the shape is fully understood. If the 3D shape does not have inherent distinctiveness, INPI may require evidence of acquired distinctiveness through use in the French market. You can find more information on the INPI website: https://www.inpi.fr/.

If you’re considering filing a 3D trademark in France, feel free to contact us for a free, no-obligation assessment so we can review your case and confirm the best filing options for your situation.