2. Can innovative ideas be protected under civil law?

2.1 Contract law

The conventional field is the ideal one for protecting and promoting innovative ideas. However, the innovative idea must be concretized and individualized, so that it can be defined contractually. An innovative idea can be the subject of a contract, either as a principal or as an accessory. This is particularly the case in the artistic, architectural or advertising fields.

A contract is a voluntary agreement between two or more persons, intended to create, modify, transmit or extinguish obligations (article 1101 of the Code civil ). The contract defines the respective obligations of the parties, and thus...