Attal's Renaissance party sues Le Pen and National Rally for trademark infringement over campaign slogan
Gabriel Attal's Renaissance party filed a lawsuit against Marine Le Pen and the National Rally on Wednesday, alleging the far-right candidate's new campaign poster slogan 'For France, the Renaissance' constitutes trademark counterfeiting and unfair competition.
The lawsuit
The party of former prime minister and presidential candidate Gabriel Attal, Renaissance, announced on Wednesday 15 July that it had filed a lawsuit against the National Rally (RN) and its presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. The legal action, first reported by RTL and confirmed by Agence France-Presse, accuses the far-right party of 'trademark counterfeiting' and 'parasitism' over the use of the word 'renaissance' in Le Pen's first official campaign poster for the 2027 presidential election.
A hearing is scheduled to take place in summary proceedings on 27 July at the Paris court.
Notre identité Renaissance qui désigne notre mouvement politique depuis 2019 ne peut être détournée dans le seul but de créer une confusion dans l'esprit des électeurs.
The campaign poster
The disputed poster was unveiled on 7 July, just hours after the Paris Court of Appeal cleared Le Pen to run for office despite her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds (a ruling she is appealing to France's highest court). The image shows Le Pen alone on a dark blue background, smiling with her arms wide open and her gaze lifted skyward, above blurred French flags evoking a rally atmosphere. The slogan 'For France, the Renaissance' appears in large letters above her.
- Marine Le Pen unveils campaign poster with slogan 'For France, the Renaissance' after court clears her to run.
- RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli defends the slogan on BFMTV, saying it refers to a rebirth of France.
- Renaissance party announces it has filed a lawsuit for trademark counterfeiting and parasitism.
- Summary proceedings hearing scheduled at the Paris court.
Renaissance's claims
Renaissance, founded by Emmanuel Macron in 2017 under the name En Marche! before adopting its current identity in 2019, argues the slogan is a deliberate attempt to exploit its established name recognition. The party stated the appropriation 'is not trivial: it manifestly aims to exploit the notoriety of our movement by appropriating an essential element of its identity, namely its name.'
Renaissance is seeking all necessary legal actions to halt the use under penalty and to obtain damages, specifically citing trademark counterfeiting and parasitism as the legal basis. The party added that beyond the legal question, the approach 'undermines what we are' and emphasized its identity as 'a humanist, European and republican project.'
Renaissance a décidé d'engager toutes les actions judiciaires nécessaires afin de faire cesser ces agissements sous astreinte et d'obtenir réparation de son préjudice.
National Rally's response
The National Rally responded with irony when questioned by AFP. The party's statement referenced a potential future alliance between Attal and another centrist figure, Édouard Philippe, playing on the word 'rassemblement' (rally/gathering), which is also part of the RN's own party name.
Quand Monsieur Attal parlera de 'rassemblement' au moment où il se ralliera à Édouard Philippe, promis on ne lui fera pas de procès.
On the evening of 7 July, RN campaign spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli addressed the similarity on BFMTV, insisting the slogan referred to a rebirth of France, listing education, economic growth, and civil peace, while also evoking a 'beautiful historical period' when 'a whole host of artists and geniuses revealed themselves.'
