Trademarks

SENAPI – Sao Tome and Principe Intellectual Property Office has announced an update of the official fees for the Intellectual Property (IP) procedures in the country.

The new fees came in to force on 1, July 2019, and reflect a slight increment of the values charged on all procedures concerning Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs and other generic fees applied by the services.

The law 31/2009 on the Protection of Intellectual Property, came into force in Rwanda on 14, December 2009, as previously announced. Before the approval of this legislation, trademarks registered in this jurisdiction were conceded for an undetermined time frame.

Mozambique’s Intellectual Property Code dated December 31, 2015, established that the filing of a Declaration of Intention of Use (DIU) is mandatory regarding trademark registrations in Mozambique. It is important to underline that this obligation is only applicable to trademarks, but not to other distinctive trade signs.

Every 2 years Évora receives Alentejo’s Vine and Wine Symposium, an event where specialists from the wine sector go to acquire in dept information to improve their business.

This year, Inventa International participated in the exhibition, with a scientific poster explaining how to register an international wine trademark.

The Quality Management and Intellectual Property Office (IGQPI) announced that deadline to submit the Declaration of Intention of Use (DIU) for trademarks granted in August 2013 will be extended until August 2019.

The Sudanese Trademark Office has recently announced the dissolution of its Appeal Committee.

This means that from now on, in accordance to article 16 (2) of the trademark's act, any refusal by the Registrar to register or to make an amendment, modification or limitation to a national trademark, or to an international trademark filled by the Madrid System, shall be subject to appeal to the court.

Article (16) of the trademark's act stipulates the following:

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Commercial Law Department Trademarks Registry recently announced the publication of the first Compendium of Rulings of Trademarks Tribunal.

Canada has joined the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks, becoming the 104th member of the Madrid System, which now covers 120 countries.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has just opened its sixth External Office. Located in Algeria this is the organization’s first of two representations planned for the African Continent, has it is foreseen the opening of another WIPO representation in Nigeria.