Single section: Geographical indications protecting industrial and craft products

Articles in this section · 13

Article R721-1

French Intellectual Property CodeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

I. - The application for approval or amendment of the approved specification, together with all the documents relating to the application, shall be sent to the National Institute of Industrial Property by electronic means, in accordance with the procedures laid down by decision of the Director General of the Institute, by the defence and management organisation defined in Article L. 721-4 or by a representative meeting the conditions set out in l'article R. 712-2. The filing date is the date on which the application is received by the Institute.

II. - The registration application file includes:

1° The registration application drawn up in accordance with the conditions laid down by decision of the director general of the institute;
2° The name and postal and electronic addresses of the defence and management organisation as well as the surname and first name of its legal representative;
3° The draft specifications for the geographical indication including all the details provided for in l'article L. 721-7;
4° Information making it possible to assess, in particular with regard to the rules laid down in the third paragraph of Article L. 721-4 and in 4° of Article L. 721-6, the representativeness of operators within the defence and management body;
5° Proof of payment of the fee provided for in article R. 411-17;
6° Where applicable, the authorised representative's power of attorney.

III. - In addition to the items mentioned in 2°, 5° and 6° of II, the application file for an amendment to the approved product specification includes:

1° The amendment application drawn up in accordance with the conditions laid down by decision of the Director General of the Institute;
2° The amended elements of the approved product specification of the geographical indication concerned;
3° Information making it possible to assess, in particular with regard to the rules laid down in the third paragraph of Article L. 721-4 and 4° of Article L. 721-6, the representativeness of operators within the defence and management body, if these elements are modified.

IV. - The supporting documents, which must be produced in support of the applications provided for in this article, are specified by decision of the Director General of the Institute.

V. - All correspondence exchanged between the applicant and the Institute shall be sent electronically.

Mariela Petrova

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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

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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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