French trademark law in Quebec took a decisive turn on June 1, 2025, when the final provisions of Bill 96 came into force. Brands that display an English trademark on products or storefronts now face clearer, stricter rules about when French must appear alongside it.
The stakes are practical: relabelled packaging, redesigned signs and, in some cases, new registrations. This article explains what the law allows, what it now requires in French, and how to tell whether your marks are compliant.
How French Trademark Law Treats Recognized Marks
Quebec’s Charter of the French Language generally requires French on products, signage and commercial materials. A long-standing exception lets a recognized trademark appear in another language. After June 1, 2025, this exception still covers both registered trademarks and common-law (unregistered) marks, provided no French version of the mark is itself registered.
This point caused real confusion. Early drafts of the reform suggested the exception would shrink to registered marks only, but the final regulation kept the broader recognized standard. Gowling WLG’s analysis of Bill 96 and trademarks traces how this evolved.
Registered, Pending and Common-Law Marks
The type of trademark affects your options. A registered mark offers the clearest footing under the exception. The final regulation also treats certain pending applications and common-law marks as recognized, provided no French version of the mark is registered.
This detail carries a hidden risk: Registering a French version of your own mark can unintentionally remove the exception, forcing a translation you never planned for. Trademark strategy and language compliance are now linked, so a decision made for brand protection can change what the Charter requires on your packaging. The two questions deserve to be reviewed together rather than in isolation.
When French Trademark Law Requires a Translation
If an English trademark contains a generic term or a description of the product, that term or description must now appear in French. It can sit on the product itself or on a medium permanently attached to it.
A description refers to words describing the product’s characteristics, and a generic term refers to words describing its nature. Excluded from this rule are the enterprise name, the product name as sold, designations of origin and distinctive cultural names, which may stay in another language. So a coined brand name can remain English, but the words explaining what the product is cannot hide behind it.
Consider a cereal sold under an English brand that includes the words “corn flakes.” The brand name may stay as is, but the descriptive term needs a French equivalent such as flocons de maïs, shown clearly on the packaging.
| Element on the product | Rule after June 1, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Coined brand name (recognized mark) | May remain in English if no French version is registered. |
| Generic term inside the mark | Must appear in French on the product or an attached medium. |
| Product description inside the mark | Must appear in French. |
| Enterprise name and product name as sold | May remain in another language. |
| Overall inscriptions on packaging | French must be at least as prominent as any other language. |
Signage Rules Are Stricter Than Product Rules
Public signs and posters visible from outside a building follow a tougher test. When a non-French trademark or a business name in another language appears, French must be markedly predominant. In concrete terms, the French text must occupy space at least twice as large as the other language, with equal legibility and permanent visibility.
The essentials for signage are as follows:
- Applies to storefront signs and any signage visible from outside premises.
- French must have a much greater visual impact within the same visual field.
- French space must be at least twice that of the other language.
- For digital or rotating signs, French must show for at least twice as long.
- There is no grace period for signage, unlike certain products.
Stikeman Elliott’s review of the new signage and packaging rules sets out these thresholds with examples, and the practical labelling side is covered in this guide to packaging translation rules in Canada.
Getting the French wording right on a label or a sign is a linguistic decision as much as a legal one. Quebec market adaptation helps translate descriptive terms accurately for local audiences.
Deadlines and the Product Grace Period
The trademark and signage rules took effect on June 1, 2025. For products, a transitional measure helps businesses adjust. Goods manufactured before that date that do not meet the new requirements may continue to be sold until June 1, 2027, as long as no French version of the trademark was registered in Canada as of June 26, 2024. Signage enjoys no such buffer.
Penalties for noncompliance generally range from $3,000 to $30,000 per violation, with higher amounts for repeat offences, and directors can be held personally liable. Many of the wording mistakes that trigger complaints are avoidable, as shown in these common English-to-French translation mistakes in Quebec.
How to Audit Your Trademarks Before a Deadline
A short inventory turns a vague worry into a concrete task list. Working through each mark on your products and signage shows quickly where French is missing and where the exception still protects you.
- List every trademark that appears on products, packaging and signage in Quebec.
- Note whether each mark is registered, pending or common-law.
- Check the trademark register for any French version of the mark.
- Identify generic terms or product descriptions embedded in each mark.
- Flag exterior signage where French must be markedly predominant.
- Record manufacturing dates for products that may qualify for the grace period.
Most brands find that only a handful of marks need attention, usually those with descriptive English wording or prominent storefront signage. Handling those marks well is far cheaper than a rushed relabelling once a complaint arrives.
The rules also reach beyond shelves and storefronts: Commercial advertising, catalogues and promotional materials that display a non-French trademark follow the same markedly predominant standard as exterior signage. A brochure or a digital ad aimed at Quebec cannot lean on an English tagline without a strong French presence beside it. Reviewing marketing assets at the same time as packaging avoids fixing one channel while leaving another exposed.
Making French Trademark Law Work for Your Brand
French trademark law in Quebec is not designed to erase English brands; it draws a line between a name, which can stay as it is, and the words that describe a product, which the public has a right to read in French.
Brands that map their marks against these rules now, and translate descriptive terms with care, avoid costly relabelling later and earn goodwill in the francophone market. To assess your labels and signage against current requirements, request a review of your French wording.
FAQ
How does French trademark law apply to English brands in Quebec?
French trademark law lets a recognized mark, registered or common-law, stay in English on products and signs, provided no French version of the mark is registered. The brand name itself can remain English; however, any generic term or product description inside the mark must appear in French, and exterior signage must show French that is markedly predominant, meaning it must have a much greater visual impact than the other language.
What must appear in French on product packaging?
French must be at least as prominent as any other language on packaging, a rule in place since 1977. Since June 1, 2025, any generic term or product description contained in an English trademark must also appear in French, on the product or a permanently attached medium. The enterprise name and the product name as sold may remain in another language.
Is there a grace period to update products?
Yes, but only for products. Goods manufactured before June 1, 2025, that do not meet the new trademark requirements may be sold until June 1, 2027, provided no French version of the mark was registered in Canada as of June 26, 2024. Public signage has no grace period and has had to comply since June 1, 2025.