Industrial Property Law

An application for certification of product specifications may be filed with the INPI by a “defense and management organization” (Art. L. 721-3, para. 1, IP Code), a private organization with legal personality whose composition and functioning must guarantee the representativeness of the operators concerned for each of the products for which a geographical indication protecting industrial and arti …

Certification procedure

An application for certification of product specifications may be filed with the INPI by a “defense and management organization” (Art. L. 721-3, para. 1, IP Code), a private organization with legal personality whose composition and functioning must guarantee the representativeness of the operators concerned for each of the products for which a geographical indication protecting industrial and artisanal products is sought (Art. L. 721-4 IP Code). The defense and management organization contributes to the general interest objective of preserving and promoting regions, local traditions and know-how, along with the products produced there (Art. L. 721-6 IP Code).

The specifications must include, notably,  the name of the geographical indication, the product concerned, the quality, reputation, traditional know-how or other characteristics of the product concerned that may be essentially attributed to the geographical area or specific place, or the description of the manufacturing and processing operations (Art. L. 721-7 IP Code). It must specify the delimitation of the geographical area or the specific place which it covers (Art. L. 721-7 IP Code). It is considered inadequate if it purports to target the whole of the national territory .

The INPI reviews the content of the specifications and the question of the level of representation of the operators within the defense and management body, then it carries out a public survey and consults the local authorities, the trade associations concerned, and the director of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité) when there is a danger of confusion between the chosen name and an existing geographical indication or protected designation, and also accredited consumer associations (Art. L. 721-3, al. 2, IP Code). Absent a response within two months, the opinions of these associations are deemed to be favorable (Art. L. 721-3, para. 3, IP Code). The INPI also ensures that the production or processing procedures described in the specifications, and the perimeter of the area or place, make it possible to guarantee that the product in question does indeed have the requisite quality, reputation or characteristics (Art. L. 721-3, para. 4, IP Code). The registration decision and the specifications are published in the  Official  Bulletin of Industrial Property (Bulletin officiel de la propriété industrielle) (Art. L. 721-3, para. 5, IP Code).

Any natural or legal person involved in the production or processing of the product in accordance with the specifications may use the geographical indication protecting industrial and artisanal products, provided that he or she is a member of the organization that defends this indication and figures on a list published in the Official Bulletin of Industrial Property (Art. L. 721-5 IP Code).

Cass. com. 16 March 2022, LawLex202200001964JBJ.

Industrial Property Law

216. Certification procedure

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216. Certification procedure

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Les décisions de justice citées dans ce paragraphe :

Les notions juridiques connexes

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