Glossaire Q – W

Q

  • Quitus : release given to the Directors or Manager of a company for the performance of their duties, in general at the time when the company accounts are submitted to the general Meeting of Shareholders.
  • Quittance : receipt acknowledging payment of moneys or rent.

R

  • Référé : summary proceedings before the civil, commercial or administrative Court.
  • Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés : Companies and Commerce Registry.
  • Règlement : regulation.
  • Règlement européen : regulation directly applicable throughout the European Union, without the need for specific implementation on the part of the member States, as in the case of Directives.
  • Représentant des créanciers : Court appointed Officer to represent the interests of creditors in a French bankruptcy case.
  • Requête : petition.
  • Responsabilité : liability under (i) torts (responsabilité délictuelle) or (ii) contracts (responsabilité contractuelle).

S

  • Saisie : attachment measures, either prior to trial or to enforce a judgment.
  • Saisie-contrefaçon : attachment of infringing products prior to an infringement suit.
  • Savoir-faire : know-how.
  • Second marché : second tier market for a listed company.
  • Sécurité Sociale : Social Security.
  • Sénat : the upper house of the French Parliament.
  • Sentence arbitrale : arbitral award.
  • Serment : oath.
  • Signification : service of a judgment or judicial order.
  • Société : Company.
  • Société Anonyme (S.A.) : Corporation.
  • Société à Responsabilité Limitée (S.A.R.L.) : Limited Liability Company.
  • Société Civile : Civil Company.
  • Société en Nom Collectif (S.N.C.) : Partnership.
  • Société en participation : partnership syndicate.
  • Société par Actions Simplifiée (S.A.S.) : new type of Commercial Company, the shareholders of which are legal persons.
  • Statuts : Company’s articles of Association and by-laws.
  • Stock : inventory.
  • Succession : estate devolution, probate.
  • Succursale : branch.
  • Sûreté : secured interest.
  • Sursis à statuer : stay.
  • Syndic : name formerly given to a receiver or liquidator in bankruptcy (before the Bankruptcy Act of 1985).
  • Syndic de copropriété : Manager of a condominium.

T

  • Tarif : fees schedule.
  • Transaction : settlement agreement.
  • Trésor Public : French Tax Services.
  • Tribunal : Tribunal.
  • Tribunal Administratif : Administrative Tribunal.
  • Tribunal Correctionnel : Criminal Court for misdemeanours (a specializeddivision of Tribunal de Grande Instance).
  • Tribunal de Commerce : Commercial Court, with exclusive jurisdictions for disputes between commercial companies and businesses in general.
  • Tribunal de Grande Instance : Court of Ordinary Jurisdiction.
  • Tribunal d’Instance : Municipal Court.
  • Tribunal de Police : Magistrate for petty offenses.
  • Tribunal des Conflits : jurisdiction composed of counselors to the “Cour de Cassation” and to “Conseil d’Etat” having as purpose to solve disputes of a jurisdictional nature as to whether the Administrative Courts or the Courts of ordinary jurisdictions have authority to adjudicate a given dispute.
  • Tuteur : Guardian appointed by the Court in the most serious forms of incompetency.

U

  • Union Européenne : European Union.
  • Urbanisme : city zoning.


V

  • Valeurs mobilières : securities (including “obligations”/bonds and “actions”/shares).
  • Vente : sale.
  • Vérification : generally a tax audit.

W

  • Warrant : security upon goods in storage.