French Intellectual Property Code

On expiry of the time limit laid down in the preceding article, the person in charge of the tasks falling within the remit of the national plant variety authority shall decide on the application. He may decide either to grant the plant variety certificate, or to reject the application, or to carry out a further investigation under conditions and within time limits which he shall lay down. His decision shall…

The plant variety certificate is issued by the person in charge of missions under the national plant variety authority. It is issued in the name of the holder of the plant variety certificate application. If the holder of the application is not the breeder, the latter’s name must be mentioned on the plant variety certificate. In addition to the denomination of the variety and its botanical description, the certificate shall…

The certificate is entered in the National Register of Plant Variety Certificates under the conditions set out in article R. 623-40.

The issue of the plant variety certificate is published in the Official Bulletin of the national plant variety authority within three months of the date of notification of issue made to the owner of the plant variety certificate.

From the day of publication in the Official Bulletin, any person may inspect the plant variety certificate as entered in the National Register of Plant Variety Certificates at the headquarters of the national plant variety authority. They may obtain extracts from the Register at their own expense. He may also inspect the documents in the file relating to the application and the examination procedure or obtain a copy thereof at…

The person in charge of missions falling within the remit of the national plant variety authority is only required to keep applications for plant variety certificates for a period of ten years after the expiry of the rights attached to the corresponding certificates.