I. – On receipt of an application for approval of a specification, the National Institute of Industrial Property shall send a filing receipt with the application number to the applicant organisation or its representative.
II. – The Institute shall notify the applicant within two months of the filing of the application referred to in I:
1° Either, where the application is complete, that the complete application has been received;
2° Or, where the application is incomplete, that the incomplete application has been received.
In the latter case, it accompanies the notification with a request for the missing supporting documents and, if applicable, a request for additional information on the elements of the file mentioned in Article R. 721-1.
The applicant shall send, within one month of the date of notification, the documents requested, on pain of inadmissibility of the application, and any additions requested, on pain of rejection of the application.
Within one month of receipt of these documents and additions, the Institute will send the applicant notification of receipt of the complete application.
III. – The complete file whose receipt has been notified to the applicant under the conditions described in II shall be the subject of concomitant transmission to the Minister responsible for industrial property for notification to the European Commission pursuant to the provisions of Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society services.
IV. – The Institute shall publish the application for approval of the specifications in the Bulletin officiel de la propriété industrielle within one month of the notification of the complete file provided for in II.
V. – The provisions of I, II and IV shall apply to applications for amendment of approved specifications. Those of III are applicable only to applications for amendments relating to the elements mentioned in 1° to 5° and 11° of Article L. 721-7.