Prosecution

In Angola, all trademark applications are subject to examination by the Angolan Institute of Industrial Property (IAPI). During this process, if the institute concludes that there are grounds for refusal as specified under Articles 31(1) and 35 of the Angolan Industrial Property Law, it will publish the refusal in the Industrial Property Bulletin.

Implemented by the Presidential Decree No. 62/20 of 4 March, the new official fees related to Industrial Property procedures in Angola, were published in the Official Gazette of the Angola Republic.

The new fees came into force on March 20, 2020 and reflect an increase of values in all Industrial Property procedures practiced in this jurisdiction, updating rates that have remained unchanged for more than 20 years.

The first, and probably the most significate change, is that Zanzibar’s Business and Property Registration Agency (BPRA) has introduced the Online Registration System (ORS) that has already been put in place in Tanzania (Tanganyika) with very promising results.

There are multiple types of industrial property rights that an entity can use to protect the following distinctive signs in commerce in Mozambique: trademark, logotype, trade name, establishment name, establishment insignia and corporate name.

Distinctive signs and the law

Lesotho has been a signatory member of the Paris Convention since 1989. In 1999 it ratified the Madrid Agreement and Protocol and on that same year the Banjul Protocol on Marks within the framework of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO).

There are thus three routes to obtaining registration of a trademark in Lesotho:

It is manifest the growing interest of mankind in disruptive themes as Artificial Intelligence (AI). As we have been analyzing, this theme has increased its significance as the inventions reach new and inspiring outcomes. This article intends to analyze if there have been a growing tendency on patent applications related to AI in the European Patents Office or if, besides all the euphoria, we are still far away from a technological boom particulary inventive.

We are pleased to inform our clients from the United States that a new app has been launched to revolutionize the legalization process of Power of Attorneys from Ethiopia.

The Consular Office, through the website www.eepoa.org, provides an expedite service that allows applicants and agents to fill in the E-POA form, make the payment and send it to the Embassy of Ethiopia for the online legalization process in less than 24-48 hours.

This year, INTA’s Europe Conference “Brands, Sports, and Esports: A Brand (R)evolution” took place in Madrid, Spain.

On January 31, 2020, the Rwanda Development Board issued a notice stipulating that according to law no. 31/2009 the owners of trademarks filed before December 14, 2009 and who have not renewed its trademarks until December 14, 2019 will now be able to count on another 10 months of grace period. Therefore, the deadline to renew the trademarks filed before December 14, 2009 ends on 13 October 2020.