Publish and Perish : Legal Publicity and Business Secrets of French Firms

Abstract

According to the French commercial law, most companies are compelled to publish confidential informations such as balance sheets, managers and auditors reports, statutes… Their competitors can legally and easely access to these data, even if their own informations are kept secret. The competition process is widely biased due to generalization of technologies development and competitive intelligence practices. Members of Parliament and judges do not seem to be aware of the threat’s seriousness. For that reason, endangered firms have to conceive counter-intelligence strategies which are founded on ad hoc judicial proceedings..