French Patent: Metropolitan France and Overseas Territories!

France includes territories located outside Europe with different statuses:

• 5 overseas departments and regions (DROM): Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion, and Mayotte,
• 5 overseas collectivities (COM): Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia, and the Wallis and Futuna Islands,
• New Caledonia, a sui generis collectivity,
• the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF).

As it stands, the French patent covers all of these territories, except for French Polynesia since 2014. However, it is possible to extend the geographical scope of the French patent to this territory by paying a fee of €300 to INPI at the time of filing the French patent application.

Finally, it should be noted that New Caledonia also decided in 2013 to transfer jurisdiction over industrial property matters to its local government, but the provisions are not yet in force. In the meantime, the French patent covers this territory.