French Intellectual Property Code
In forceIn the event that other patent applications have been filed relating to the same invention as that which is the subject of the French patent application, the National Institute of Industrial Property may invite the applicant, before the drawing up of the preliminary search report, to communicate to it, within a time limit which it shall set, the information available to it, on the date of notification, on the state of the art which was taken into consideration during the examination of these other applications by the competent offices.
The National Institute of Industrial Property may, in addition, require the production of the documents cited other than published patents and patent applications and the indication of the relevant passages, translated into French.
If, on expiry of the time limit set and renewable once, the applicant has neither complied with the requests of the National Institute of Industrial Property nor provided proof of being unable to produce these documents, the patent application shall be rejected in accordance with the provisions of 9° of
article L. 612-12.
