Trademarks in France

What a trademark is

A trademark protects the things that make a business easy to recognise, such as its name, logo or special words. Together these form the brand, which can be one of the most valuable things a business owns. Registering it means others cannot freely copy it.

Registering a trademark

A lawyer who works in this area makes the application and follows it up until the trademark is registered. It can be registered for one country or for the whole of Europe.

If someone copies your trademark

• A first meeting to see whether your trademark has really been copied or misused.
• An explanation of the ways to stop it and to get some form of repair for the harm.
• Talks with the people using it, and a court case if they do not stop or do not make up for the loss.