‘Unauthorized appropriation’: Attal announces lawsuit against Le Pen over ‘Renaissance’ slogan

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has initiated legal proceedings against Marine Le Pen and her National Rally (RN) party, accusing them of trademark infringement and parasitic practices. The lawsuit centers on the RN's use of the word "Renaissance," the name of Attal's presidential party, on its initial campaign materials.

Attal stated that the RN's choice to adopt the name "Renaissance" aims to create "great confusion" among French voters. He emphasized the importance of respecting rules and clarity, especially during uncertain times. The presidential camp argues that the RN's actions constitute an "unauthorized appropriation" designed to exploit the established brand recognition of "Renaissance."

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I believe in respecting the rules and I think that, in an extremely unclear moment, the French need clarity. However, the RN's choice to take our name and our logo is a desire to create great confusion among the French.

The legal action follows the RN's use of the slogan on a campaign poster and website, launched shortly after Le Pen's conviction in an appeal case regarding her former European Parliament assistants. According to reports, an urgent procedure has been granted, with a hearing set for July 27.

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Marine Le Pen spends her life saying she is a lawyer. Yet, any lawyer would have seen the difficulty. Either they saw it and it is a voluntary challenge to private property. Or they did not see it and we can ask real questions about their skills, their amateurism and therefore their ability to lead the country.

Attal's team directly criticized Le Pen's background as a lawyer, suggesting that any competent legal professional would recognize the difficulties in using a registered name. They questioned whether this was a deliberate challenge to private property rights or an indication of incompetence and amateurism, questioning the RN's capability to lead the country.

In response, the National Rally's leadership responded with irony, suggesting they would not pursue legal action against Attal if he were to speak of "gathering" when aligning with Édouard Philippe.

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When Mr. Attal speaks of 'gathering' when rallying to Édouard Philippe, we promise not to sue him.