Copyright & designs
Protect a logo, a product, a creation.
Your creations — a logo, a visual, a product, a design — can be protected by copyright, by a registered design, sometimes by both. Clients often come to us in three situations: a contractor has delivered a logo, you are launching a product with a carefully crafted design, or one of your visuals is being copied. The point is knowing which of these rights to use, and building the proof of yours.
Copyright: automatic, but to be proven
In France, an original work is protected by copyright from the moment it is created, with no filing at all. The advantage is immediate; the difficulty is evidential: in a dispute, it is for you to prove what you created and when. Hence the value of securing dated proof — an enveloppe Soleau at the INPI, a deposit with a notary or a commissaire de justice, timestamping.
The registered design: protecting appearance
Where it is the appearance of a product that matters (shape, lines, ornamentation), a design filing protects it, in France or the EU, in five-year terms up to twenty-five years. At EU level there is also an automatic unregistered protection of three years from disclosure.
Who owns the rights?
A point often overlooked: rights vest in the author, a natural person. A creation made by a contractor or an employee does not belong to you automatically — a written, precise assignment is required. We secure your commission and assignment contracts so you actually hold what you paid for.
In practice: how to secure your rights
A few simple reflexes make the difference. Date your creations from the outset — enveloppe Soleau, a deposit with a commissaire de justice or notary, timestamping. Have every contractor or employee who creates for you sign a written, precise assignment. And if the appearance of your product is an asset, file a design before any disclosure — or within twelve months at EU level, thanks to the grace period.
The most common pitfalls
The same mistakes recur: believing that having paid for a creation is enough to own the rights — a written assignment is needed; disclosing a design before protecting it; keeping no dated proof and being left empty-handed in a dispute; or thinking you can protect an idea, when only its concrete form and expression count.