All publications by Soulier Avocats

This is a presidential campaign video which created a buzz. Eager to show France, its history, its knowledge and its culture, Eric Zemmour illustrated his words with many images, without any authorization from the holders of the rights to the footage used. Could he rely on the copyright exception known as the “short quotation exception” (known as exception de courte citation under French law) or freedom of expression to circumvent copyright?

The Paris Judicial Court says no; the rights holders must be compensated and the video removed. However, could not the judges have ruled out any infringement on the ground that the very short footage at issue were merely incidental to the political speech?

The Legal Committee of the Association Nationale des Sociétés par Actions (French association of joint stock companies, commonly referred to by its acronym “ANSA”) met on March 2, 2022 to express its opinion on the application, in the context of cross-border simplified mergers, of the exemption from the obligation to prepare a written report provided for in the context of domestic simplified mergers.

A brief reminder of the applicable rules in this area is necessary before presenting the issue at stake and the clarification given by ANSA.

Guerlain almost had its G lipstick case rejected as a three-dimensional trademark, but the judges of the General Court of the European Union were more flexible in their assessment of its distinctiveness than the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

The shape of the lipstick, comparable to a ship’s hull or baby carriage, was considered sufficiently arbitrary, as the General Court of the European Union considered this shape unusual, easily memorable and uncommon on the market. It also found that the rounded contours of the tube prevented it from being positioned vertically as is customary, a clarification related to the use of the product that may nevertheless be surprising.

The so-called annual forfait jours working time arrangement[1] allows the employer to derogate from the legal working time of 35 hours per week and the payment of overtime hours. The formalities and requirements for setting up this type of working time arrangement as well as the obligations associated therewith are summarized in the infographic below. […]

It is clear that family-owned sociétés civiles immobilières (non-commercial property holding companies) are an inexhaustible source of litigation, particularly with regard to the rights of the usufructuary.

The ruling handed down by the Third Civil Chamber of the Cour de Cassation (French Supreme Court) on February 16, 2022 provides another significant example of this as it was published in the Bulletin of the Cour de Cassation.

Law No. 2016-1691 on transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernization of the economy of December 9, 2016, commonly referred to as the “Sapin II Law”, has provided France with innovative tools inter alia to detect, prevent and punish corruption and breaches of probity.

The reinforcement of the legal arsenal to better fight corruption is one of the major pillars of this Law, and the risks associated to breaches of compliance rules can prove to be a deterrent for buyers in the context of M&A transactions.