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IP and data in France

Intellectual property lawyers in France. Own what you build.

In France, a name, a line of code or a customer list is only yours if the paperwork says so. We secure your brand, your rights and your data.

The matters we handle

  1. Trademark clearance searchIs the name free to use?
  2. Trademark registrationFrance, EU or international.
  3. Trademark oppositionStop a conflicting filing.
  4. IP assignment agreementYour company owns its work.
  5. Software and SaaS licenceTerms that work under EU law.
  6. IP audit before fundraising or saleReady for due diligence.
  7. GDPR compliance auditWhat to fix, in order.
  8. Privacy policy and cookie noticeWhat your users must see.
  9. Data processing agreement and transfersSharing data lawfully.

Our services

What you've built. Named, owned and protected.

Your brand first, then ownership of what your people create, then the data you collect.

Brand

Most refused or opposed trademarks come from a search nobody ran. The Talent Passport (French talent residence permit) is a residence route for eligible professional, entrepreneurial and other qualifying projects in France.

Trademark registration

Filing your trademark in France, the EU or internationally, and following it until the registration certificate.

  • France, EU or international strategy
  • Goods and services list drafted
  • Examiner objections answered
  • Certificate and renewal date
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Trademark opposition

Filing or answering an opposition against a conflicting trademark before the French or EU office.

  • Similarity and prior rights analysis
  • Opposition or response drafted and filed
  • Coexistence agreement where possible
  • Follow-up until the decision
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Ownership

French law does not give a company the rights to a freelancer's or a founder's work unless they are assigned in writing.

IP assignment agreement

Making sure your company, not a founder, freelancer or agency, legally owns its code, brand, designs and content.

  • Who created what, mapped
  • Assignment itemising each right
  • Founder-held trademarks and domains transferred
  • Clauses for future freelance and employment contracts
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Software and SaaS licence

A software licence, SaaS terms or IP licence drafted, reviewed or adapted to French and EU law.

  • Licence or SaaS terms drafted or reviewed
  • US or UK templates adapted to EU rules
  • Scope, exclusivity, royalties and termination
  • Notes on the other side's draft
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IP audit before fundraising or sale

A structured review of your IP and its ownership gaps before investors or buyers run their own.

  • Trademarks, domains, software, designs and content listed
  • Chain of title and open source checked
  • Red flags ranked by severity
  • Plan with the documents to sign
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Data

GDPR applies as soon as you target people in France, wherever your company is based.

GDPR compliance audit

How your business collects and uses personal data, and exactly what to fix, in order of priority.

  • Data mapping and record of processing
  • Gaps against GDPR and CNIL guidance
  • Prioritised action plan
  • Whether you need a DPO, an impact assessment or an EU representative
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Data processing agreement and transfers

The contracts that let you share personal data with vendors, clients or a non-EU parent company lawfully.

  • Article 28 processing agreement
  • Standard contractual clauses for US or UK transfers
  • EU representative assessment
  • Vendors' agreements reviewed
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What you are buying

Not more legal language. A clear decision on what you own.

Before work begins on your IP or data matter, three things should be clear enough to repeat in one sentence.

01 / Scope

What we will do

The documents we draft or review, the questions we answer and the people we coordinate with: the trademark office, your developers, your vendors.

02 / Price

What it will cost

A fee agreed before any work begins, with the scope of your IP or data matter set out in writing.

03 / Next step

What happens now

Which documents to gather, which questions to settle, and the next decision on your brand, your code or your data.

FAQ

IP and data questions. Answered plainly.

Still unsure where your matter fits?

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Yes. Any company or person can own a French or EU trademark. Applicants based outside the European Economic Area file through a representative established there, such as a French lawyer.

Around five to six months at the French office when no one objects: publication, a two-month opposition period, then registration. An EU trademark follows a similar rhythm. An opposition or an examiner's objection adds several months.

A French trademark protects you in France only and costs less. An EU trademark covers all 27 member states in one filing, but a single earlier right anywhere in the EU can block it. The choice depends on where you sell now, and where you will sell in two years.

Not automatically. Under French law, a freelancer keeps the rights to what they create unless a written assignment lists each right transferred, its scope and its duration. Software written by employees as part of their job belongs to the employer.

A company outside the EU that offers services to people in France, or monitors their behaviour, generally needs an EU representative. A DPO is required only in specific cases, such as large-scale monitoring or sensitive data. An audit tells you which applies.

The office compares both marks and decides whether they conflict, within months and without going to court. Many oppositions end with a coexistence agreement. The deadline to oppose is two months from publication in France and three months at the EU office.

Tell us what needs protecting. We'll take it from there.

A first call to understand your matter. A fee agreed in writing before any work begins.

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