Glossary

A patent protects an invention in a given market and ensures that the invention is exploited by the patent holder (manufacturing, marketing, use, etc.). Patent rights can be sold or licensed to third parties.

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Derived from a calculation combining the punctuality of payments, the time taken to return bills of exchange, the frequency and scale of disputes and the rate of arrears, the concept of payer profile is calculated automatically by certain software packages and is a measure of the risk of non-payment.

Committing a customs offence results in the imposition of a penalty. The penalty is the punishment for the offence. The Customs Code provides for two types of penalty: fiscal penalties and criminal penalties. This duality is explained by the essentially economic nature of customs crime, which means that, in addition to penalties affecting the offender's person, there are also penalties of a financial nature designed to compensate for the economic loss suffered. There are also administrative penalties provided for in the national customs code and the Community customs code.

This is the risk represented by political decisions and actions at governmental level that could jeopardise the company's international commercial activity and, by extension, all incidents linked to the political situation in a country or area (riots, etc.) that threaten this activity and the safety of staff

Procedure whereby an SME is supported in its export efforts by a large group or company. This involves making the group's structures (sales, logistics, etc.) available to the exporting company. The carrier" company also passes on its market experience

Point of sale advertising

Steps taken by the company or its representative to recover a debt that has remained unpaid beyond its due date. If unsuccessful, these steps lead to litigation (legal proceedings)

Invoice which is similar in all respects to the final invoice and which allows advance payments, licences, etc.

Product certification consists of regular checks to ensure that the manufacturing processes and specific features of a product comply with a set of specifications that are recognised by law and by consumers. When a product or manufacturing process is validated by a certification company, it is recognised and identifiable thanks to the label awarded to it.

Various products are subject to restrictions or to the completion of special formalities when imported and/or exported

A document in which the purchaser (subscriber) promises his creditor (beneficiary) payment of the sum due, at sight or on a certain date, on presentation of the promissory note to a chosen bank. Several promissory notes at different dates may be issued for the entire debt. A promissory note is issued on the initiative of the buyer, unlike a bill of exchange, which is issued on the initiative of the seller.

The concept of provenance, which must be carefully distinguished from that of origin, is used for the application of customs measures. The concept of origin" is also used for the implementation of other non-customs regulations (e.g. health) and for foreign trade statistics."

See Allocation.