#Copyright Lawyer in France

📝 Service	🔍 Description
Copyright advice	Help to understand your rights and choose the most suitable protection strategy.
Protecting works	Building evidence of the date and authorship of your creations (digital deposit, Soleau envelope).
Drafting assignment and licence agreements	Drafting agreements that set the terms of exploitation while safeguarding the interests of creators.
Handling copyright infringement disputes	Defending your copyright in the event of infringement, including gathering evidence and representation before the courts.
Tailored consultation	In-depth analysis of each case to answer the specific questions of creators.
Rights exploitation strategy	Putting in place contracts and agreements that allow optimised commercial exploitation.

Hashtag Avocats, based in Paris, acts in copyright matters and offers services to protect, exploit and defend the rights of creators. Whether you are an artist, an author, a developer or a business, we offer tailored solutions to help you protect your works and make the most of their potential. Our work ranges from protecting works and drafting assignment agreements to defending infringement disputes.

What is copyright under French law?

Copyright (droit d’auteur) is a set of legal rules that protect works of the mind, that is, literary, artistic and musical creations and other original forms of creation. It gives the author exclusive rights, which fall into two main categories: moral rights and economic rights. Moral rights allow the author to preserve the integrity of the work, while economic rights allow the author to derive financial value from the creation. Unlike industrial property rights (trade marks, patents, designs), copyright arises from the mere fact of creating the work, without any formality (Article L. 111-1 of the French Intellectual Property Code (Code de la propriété intellectuelle) (in French)). To make proof easier in the event of a dispute, it is often advisable to date the creation through a deposit of the work. Our page intellectual property lawyer in Paris presents all of these rights.

Types of works protected by copyright in France

• Literary works (books, novels, press articles)
• Musical works (compositions, arrangements)
• Photographs and visual works (paintings, sculptures)
• Audiovisual works (films, videos, documentaries)
• Digital and technological creations (software, databases)

Because of this diversity, each work calls for a specific approach to obtain optimal protection.

When should you instruct a copyright lawyer in France?

Many situations can lead a creator or a business to instruct a copyright lawyer.

• Protecting rights and putting them on a sound footing: if you have a work you want to protect robustly, a lawyer will guide you in putting the necessary evidence mechanisms in place.
• Managing rights in a collaboration: for collective works or co-creations, it is essential to define how the rights are shared.
• Drafting and negotiating agreements: when you commercialise your creation, assignment or licence agreements protect your interests and ensure smooth exploitation.
• Defending a dispute: in the event of infringement or unauthorised use of your work, a lawyer assists you in defending your rights.

How a copyright lawyer can assist you

At Hashtag Avocats, we understand the economic and personal stakes of creation. Our approach rests on an in-depth analysis of each work and a tailored strategy for each client, whether for a simple consultation or for court proceedings. The copyright lawyer at Hashtag Avocats puts their expertise at your disposal at every stage of protecting, exploiting and defending your works. Here is how our firm can assist you with copyright.

Copyright advice and legal protection

A lawyer’s assistance is needed to understand and implement the appropriate protections. Our firm offers a tailored consultation to clarify each creator’s rights and determine the most appropriate protection strategy. We answer questions such as:

• Which elements of my work can be protected?
• How can I protect my rights in a collaboration?
• Which deposit steps are recommended to preserve my interests?

We help artists, businesses and digital creators alike to establish strong protection that takes account of the specific features of their field. Our advice also covers the use of modern technologies, such as blockchain, to timestamp a work and build evidence of its prior existence, the probative value of which remains a matter for the court.

Depositing works and proving creation

Even though protection is automatic, it is advisable to formalise the authorship of a work through recognised deposit procedures. Hashtag Avocats assists you with the deposit and evidence-building steps for your creations. We offer several methods depending on your needs, including:

• Certified digital deposits
• Soleau envelopes
• Reports drawn up by a judicial officer (commissaire de justice)

These formalities provide means of proving the date and content of your creation, which are useful in the event of a future dispute. For visual works, musical creations or software, we help you build a solid file that meets legal requirements.

Drafting copyright assignment and licence agreements

Drafting rights assignment agreements and licences is a necessary part of our work. These documents govern the conditions under which third parties may exploit your works, while making sure your interests are preserved. We adapt each agreement to the creator’s specific needs, taking into account factors such as:

• The duration and geographical scope of the rights assignment
• The remuneration terms (in principle proportional to revenue, and a lump sum only in the cases provided for by Article L. 131-4 of the Intellectual Property Code (in French))
• The author’s moral rights, to ensure respect for the work

We also draft co-creation agreements for works produced in collaboration, setting out precisely how the rights are shared between the parties. This way, each creator is protected in the event of conflict or disagreement over the use of the work.

Copyright infringement disputes and defence of rights

Hashtag Avocats defends your copyright in disputes. In the event of infringement, we prepare a solid defence strategy to assert your rights and obtain compensation for the damage suffered. Our dispute services include:

• Preliminary analysis of the situation
• Gathering evidence of authorship of the work
• Representation before the competent courts

Our lawyers act in copyright proceedings and rely on statute and case law to build a rigorous defence. Whether the aim is to challenge an infringement, prove ownership of the rights or protect your work, we assist you at every stage of the proceedings.

Stages of a copyright dispute

• Initial consultation to analyse the facts and assess the prospects of success
• Preparing the case and gathering evidence to support your claim
• Out-of-court negotiations to avoid court proceedings where possible
• Court proceedings: if no amicable solution is found, we represent you before the competent courts

We do everything we can to resolve disputes favourably, with diligence and competence. Our lawyers make sure a solid case is built and assist you throughout the proceedings.

Contact Hashtag Avocats about your copyright matter

Hashtag Avocats, located at 51 Av. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008 Paris, assists you with any question relating to copyright. Our lawyers are available for tailored consultations suited to your needs and objectives. Contact us today on 01 85 73 56 66 to discuss the protection of your creations.

Every situation is different: the information on this page is general and does not replace legal advice tailored to your case. The firm makes no promise of outcome; it commits to the means it deploys.