This is a rare case in the public sphere.
In an interim order dated October 10, the Court of Auditors recommended
“to proceed with the dissolution of France Brevets, which has not demonstrated its usefulness, and to do so now without delay in order to limit the cost. for public finances.
France Brevets was one of the (many) agencies created by the government to support industrial property.
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Since 2011, her function has been to acquire patent portfolios with a view to granting licenses and defending intellectual property.
A major part of its expenses was devoted to legal defense actions for the NFC (Near Field Communication) portfolio, made up of patents in semiconductors and contactless payment.
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The court found that the company had continued to record losses (92.9 million euros cumulatively), having absorbed almost all of the public allocations (105 million euros).
Faced with the impossibility of finding an economic model, the Court of Auditors therefore requested the dissolution of this company comprising about fifteen employees.
This was done quickly, since, on October 21, the government announced
“to put an end to the activities of France Brevets”
.
The agency had begun to diversify its activities and envisaged mergers with other structures, such as Inpi (National Institute of Intellectual Property) or Bpifrance.
But, its
“financial strength”
and its
“ability to continue its maintenance in activity could not be confirmed”,
points out Bercy.