Subsection 1: Filing of applications for plant variety certificates.

Articles in this section · 15

Article R623-6

French Intellectual Property CodeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

Subject to the provisions of article R. 623-7, in order to be registered, the denomination must enable the variety to be identified from any other variety and avoid any risk of confusion with any other variety of the same botanical species or of a closely related species, in France or in States party to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. It must not be likely to mislead or cause confusion as to the origin, provenance, characteristics or value of the variety or the person of the breeder. It must not be contrary to morality or public policy.

In the event that this denomination has been the subject of a trademark registration by the breeder, his successor(s) in title, within the meaning of the legislation on trademarks or service marks as set out in Book VII of this Code, in France or with one of the parties to the aforementioned convention for identical or similar products, or is likely to create confusion with another trademark which he enjoys, the breeder must enter into an undertaking for himself and, where applicable, all his successors in title to renounce definitively, from the date of issue of the plant variety certificate, the benefit of the enjoyment of the said trademark in France and with the members of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants in which his variety may be protected by legislation adopted in application of the aforementioned convention.

Trademarks or service marks that have been internationally registered and extended to France shall be treated in the same way as trademarks registered under Book VII of this Code, in accordance with the Madrid Agreement of 14 April 1891 concerning the international registration of trademarks or service marks or European Union trade marks registered in accordance with Chapter IV of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the European Union trade mark and which enjoy protection in territories where plant variety protection legislation is applicable.

This waiver is without prejudice to the validity of the trademark application itself.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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