National Patent Register and Public Inspection

National Patent Register

Registration in the National Patent Register

The following entries are recorded in the National Patent Register (RNB) (R613-53 CPI):

• identification of the applicant (including changes of name, legal form, or address);
• acts modifying the ownership of the patent or patent application;
• acts modifying the enjoyment of the patent or patent application (i.e., licenses);
• references of the patent application or patent;
• subsequent acts affecting the existence or scope (i.e., limitations, revocation, or invalidation – for invalidation, it is recorded only when it becomes final, R613-54 CPI);
• in case of a property claim: the corresponding summons as well as the suspension and resumption of the grant procedure;
• corrections of clerical errors affecting the entries.

Registration Procedures

Assignment Deed

To register an act modifying the ownership of the patent or patent application, the former proprietor mentioned in the deed must be the one recorded with the INPI (R613-55 CPI): in short, the chain of title must be continuous.

To register it, a copy or an extract of the deed must be provided (R613-55 CPI).

An official fee for registration must also be paid (R613-55 CPI): [montant_epo default= »27 € » name= »INPI – Request for registration in the national register »] (Order of April 24, 2008, on official fees for procedures collected by the INPI), per title, with a maximum of [montant_epo default= »270 € » name= »INPI – Request for registration in the national register – maximum for multiple titles »].

Change of Name, etc. Without Assignment

Changes of name, legal form, address, and corrections of clerical errors are recorded at the request of the recorded proprietor (R613-57 CPI).

Justification may be required.

This registration of a change of name, legal form, or address is [montant_epo default= »0 € » name= »INPI – Request for registration in the national register »] (Order of April 24, 2008, on official fees for procedures collected by the INPI).

Since the entry into force, on May 1, 2008, of the London Agreement, it is no longer necessary to file a French translation of the application: in fact, the INPI will even refuse its filing (French Supreme Court, Commercial Chamber, June 9, 2015, No. 13-22529).

Public Inspection

No entry is made in the register until the patent application is published (R613-53 CPI), i.e., 18 months after the filing of the application or the earliest priority application (R612-59 CPI together with L612-21 CPI).