Your stage name might not actually belong to you. What every artist should check before festival season
Your artist or band name isn’t just a label—it’s an asset.
It represents your reputation and your story, and it’s how your fans identify you: that’s why people choose you, and that’s how they recognize you.
The Key Concept to Understand
In France, a trademark is not acquired through use, but through registration.
The first person to file becomes the owner.
You may have been using your name on stage for years: as long as it isn’t registered, it doesn’t belong to you as a trademark.
Article L.712-1 of the Intellectual Property Code
No deposit required
A third party (a record label, a former manager, someone with the same name, or a squatter) may register your name before you do.
The result: he’s the one who decides who can use it.
You risk losing control over your own identity, just when your partnerships and contracts depend on it.
How to Protect Yourself
Registering a name with the INPI for concert, festival, and live performance services…
If you also make a living from streaming and merchandising, other categories are possible.
Already well-known without having filed a trademark?
All is not lost: a well-known artist can object to an application (within two months) or have a registration filed in bad faith revoked.
But it’s time-consuming, expensive, and uncertain.
It’s better to file a claim now than to fight it later.
2 Things to Keep in Mind Before the Tour
- Check to see if the name is available.
- Place it in the appropriate classrooms.
You should protect your stage name before you go on stage.
Are you launching a project, a band, or a festival?