France is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

There is no general principle for the use of copyright-protected material comparable to the fair use/fair dealing principles. Directive 2001/29/EC defines an optional but exhaustive set of limitations from the author´s exclusive rights under the control of the “three-step test” in line with the Berne Convention that establishes three cumulative conditions to the limitations and exceptions of a copyright holder’s rights. The Directive has been transposed by Member States with significant freedom.
Art. L122-5 of the French Intellectual Property Code establishes far-reaching copyright exemptions, including private reproductions, analyses and critiques, parodies, and pedagogical uses.

The European Union and France have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty. The treaty was ratified on 14 December 2009 and came into effect on 14 March 2010.

The European Union and France have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty. The treaty was ratified on 14 December 2009 and came into effect on 14 March 2010.

The Directive 2016/943 on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) is key in harmonising national laws concerning trade secrets. France transposed the Directive through a series of amendments to existing legislation in 2018, as well as with Act 2018-670 on the Protection of Trade Secrets. This act introduces comprehensive protective mechanisms for trade secrets, which are considered effective by practitioners.

According to the Postal and Electronic Communications Code, passive infrastructure sharing is mandated in France (Art. 47-49). The operators of networks open to the public can occupy the public road domain by setting up works there insofar as this occupation is not incompatible with its assignment. In addition, co-location is not required but is strongly encouraged by the Postal and Electronic Communications Code. Passive access to optical local loops is regulated by the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques, des Postes et de la Distribution de la Presse (Arcep) in a symmetrical manner. On copper, an asymmetric regulation applies to Orange on passive and active access.
In addition, Directive 2014/61/EU (Art. 3.2) establishes that Member States shall ensure that, upon written request of an undertaking providing or authorised to provide public communications networks, any network operator must meet all reasonable requests for access to its physical infrastructure under fair and reasonable terms and conditions, including price, with a view to deploying elements of high-speed electronic communications networks. Such written request shall specify the elements of the project for which the access is requested, including a specific time frame.

Finland has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

The Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU provides an updated framework aimed at encouraging online sales. The Directive has been implemented by the Finnish Consumer Protection Act 2005.

Finland has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Finland has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Chapter 19 of the Electronic Communications Services Act allows the Ministry of the Interior to request retention obligations of telecommunications providers without a judicial warrant. These retention obligations require telecommunications providers to retain traffic and location data for certain individuals or between 6-12 months, depending on the type of data, for use by the authorities in solving certain criminal acts. While the contents of communications cannot be accessed by authorities, Chapter 19 gives the Finnish government the ability to amend certain retention obligations by Government Decree. Thus, Chapter 19 essentially allows Finnish authorities to access personal traffic and location data for individuals suspected of committing certain crimes without a warrant.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Finland, the Act 458/2002 on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce implements the E-Commerce Directive almost verbatim, but at the same time, it has some important distinctions, such as not implementing Art. 15 on prohibition of monitoring obligations.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Finland, the Act 458/2002 on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce implements the E-Commerce Directive almost verbatim, but at the same time, it has some important distinctions, such as not implementing Art. 15 on prohibition of monitoring obligations.