How to file a French Patent application:
Inventions are an essential factor to the economic success of your business. ARGYMA advises clients on technical and legal matters related to patents. We file and prosecute patent applications before the national patent office (INPI).
You would like to patent your invention in France, we take care of your patent application and advise you on the best form of protection to obtain strong rights at a cost effective price depending on the technical field of the invention and best grant opportunities.
Language requirements:
The text of your application must be in French for the prosecution, but we may file in another language to obtain an earlier filing date. If the specification is not in French, a French translation must be provided within 2 months after reception of a notification from the French PTO.
If you claim a foreign Priority, it is necessary to provide:
- The official priority document,
- A French translation of the priority documents 1st page (You may provide an English translation of the first page and we translate it into French)
- It is important to know that if you claim a foreign priority, the search report will be available around 15 months after the filing.
To apply for a french Patent you must provide
- The description, claims and abstract in any language
- Drawings if any
- Tips to avoid any irregularities and further costs, please provide:
- Numeral references in parentheses for the claims and abstract,
- A selected drawing for the abstract.
Fees:
If you are a small entity, you may benefit from 50% off on main fees of the application procedure.
A small entity certificate must be filed within 1 month from the filing. We can provide a certificate ready to be signed by the applicant.
Fees must be paid within one month from the filing date
- Filing fee : 13€ for small entities et 26€ for large entities
- Claim fee : From the 11th claims 21€/claim for small entities and 42€/claim for large entities
- Search fee : 260€ for small entities and 520€ for large entities
Steps of your patent:
STEP 1 : FILING
STEP 2 : EXAMINATION
Following the payment of the search fee, a search is carried out and a report is issued along with a written opinion. If the search report includes relevant documents, it is necessary to respond to it in a time limit of 3 months, a time extension can be requested once.
The French PTO (INPI) is less demanding than other patent offices around the world: only novelty is analyzed during the exam period not the inventive step (However, this will change in 2020).
STEP 3 : PUBLICATION
Publication is available 16 months after the filing date.
STEP 4 : GRANT
In case of allowance, the grant and printing fee must be paid within 2 months.
Renewal fees have to be paid each year even is the patent has not been granted.It is important to note that a French application cannot be derived directly from an international application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). It needs to be done through the European Patent Office (EPO).
If you claim a foreign priority, the search report will be available around 15 months after the filing.