Glossary
Obtaining a patent in France: the patent application

Certificate of utility

Industrial property title conferring a monopoly on its owner. Subject to the same conditions of validity as a patent, its issuance procedure is simplified and its term of protection shorter.

It is possible to apply for a utility certificate, either directly or by converting a patent application. Since January 11, 2020, it has also been possible to request the conversion of a utility certificate application into a French patent application (Article L. 612-15 of Code de la propriété intellectuelle (CPI) ).

Divisional application

In application of the principle of unity of invention, a patent application may only concern a single invention....