Chapter III: General obligations of traders.

I.-A register of commerce and companies shall be kept in which the following shall be registered, upon their declaration: 1° Natural persons having the status of traders, even if they are required to be registered in the national register of companies; 2° Companies and economic interest groupings having their registered office in a French department and enjoying legal personality in accordance with article 1842 of the Civil Code or to…

No person may be entered in the register unless he fulfils the conditions necessary for the exercise of his activity. Legal entities must also have completed the formalities prescribed by the laws and regulations in force concerning them.

Failure by a natural person trader to apply for registration within the prescribed period, the judge, acting either ex officio or at the request of the public prosecutor or any person demonstrating an interest therein, shall issue an order enjoining the trader, where applicable under a fine, to apply for registration. Under the same conditions, the judge may enjoin, if necessary under a penalty payment, any person registered in the…

Giving inaccurate or incomplete information in bad faith with a view to registration, deletion or an additional or amending entry in the trade and companies register is punishable by a fine of 4,500 euros and six months’ imprisonment. The competent court may, in addition, deprive the person concerned, for a period not exceeding five years, of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the commercial…

At the request of any interested party or of the public prosecutor, the president of the court, ruling in summary proceedings, may enjoin, subject to a fine, the manager of any legal person to file the documents and deeds in the register of commerce and companies to which that legal person is required by legislative or regulatory provisions. The president may, under the same conditions and for the same purpose,…

When the directors of a commercial company processing agricultural products, marketing food products, operating, directly or indirectly, one or more retail shops selling mass-market products or operating in the distribution sector as a central referencing or purchasing office for retail businesses do not file their accounts under the conditions and within the time limits laid down in articles L. 232-21 to L. 232-23, the president of the commercial court may…