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A fond farewell to Fernando dos Santos – Bemanya Twebaze elected new director general of ARIPO

The Africa Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO) has announced the appointment of new director general Bemanya Twebaze. The announcement was made during the 44th and last administrative council session, which was held in Zimbabwe between 16 and 20 November. Twebaze was previously the CEO of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau. He is due to take office on 1 January 2021 for a four-ye...

December 7, 2020

Vitor Palmela Fidalgo

Opinion Tanzania Trademark Africa

Presidential election in Tanzania could shake the trademark landscape

Despite the United Republic of Tanzania – which comprises Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar – frequently stating that innovation is a key driver of economic development and exceeding expectations for its innovation development this year, trademark owners have expressed uncertainty as to the future of IP protection in the light of the presidential elections that took place on 28 October 20...

December 2, 2020

Vera Albino

Opinion Egypt Trademark Internationalisation Counterfeiting Trademark Africa

How to submit a trademark customs recordal in Egypt

Trademark infringement in Africa is one of the reasons why various stakeholders avoid seeking protection there, as it is believed that the trademark registration systems of certain countries are not as effective as those of more developed countries. This is one of many misconceptions about intellectual property in Africa. Some countries on the continent – whose legislation does not provide f...

November 25, 2020

Inês Monteiro Alves

Opinion European Union Trademark Europe

The elimination of the “graphical representation” requirement and its effect on non-traditional EU trademarks

The current European Union (EU) Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the European Union trade mark) on EU trademarks entered into force on the 1st of October, 2017. One of the major modifications introduced by that Regulation was the elimination of the graphical representation requirement of trademarks. This requirement was held res...

November 19, 2020

João Pereira Cabral

Opinion Angola Cape Verde Dominican Republic Mozambique South Africa OAPI Africa

What do I want to drink today? Data search reveals African filing trends

Trademark application numbers can reveal a great deal about a country. This article takes a closer look at the trademark databases of the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI), Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and South Africa to reveal how the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages sector varies among African jurisdictions. But before presenting the data, it is important to note that mos...

November 18, 2020

Diogo Antunes

Press Release China Patent Industrial Design Trademark Industrial Property

2020 China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF)

The city of Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, once again hosted the China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), one of the largest technology fair in China. Under the theme "Transforming the future with technology and driving development with innovation", the event - that also took place online - held a variety of exhibitions, conferences, forums and business interactions related to scientific an...

November 18, 2020

Opinion Trademark Africa

Ranking (trademark) innovation in Africa

The 2020 Global Innovation Index (GII) was released in September. The study was authored by WIPO, Cornell University and INSEAD and focused on innovation financing, against the backdrop of the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic. This article focuses on how African countries performed, using trademark-related information as an indicator. Africa at a glance The most innovative...

November 10, 2020

João Francisco Sá

Opinion China Trademark Internationalisation Patent Internationalisation Trademark Africa Asia Industrial Property

Essential steps for Chinese companies filing trademark applications in Africa

Chinese companies began investing in Africa in the last century, mainly via direct investment. In 2013 President Xi Jinping proposed China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in order to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via the continental belt and maritime road across 65 countries. Its aim is to improve regional integration, increase trade and stimulate economic growth. The initiati...

November 4, 2020

Crystal Zhang

Opinion Algeria Trademark Africa Industrial Property

Proof of use in Algeria

The Algerian Trademark Law 03-06 (2003) states that a trademark registration is valid for 10 years from the application’s filing date and may be renewed for 10-year periods after this. In 2015 the Algerian Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) implemented new rules on renewing trademark registrations, which stated that renewals should be accompanied by proof of use and delivered in the year p...

October 29, 2020

Inês Tavares

Opinion Angola Brazil Mozambique Portugal Patent Utility Model Europe America Africa

How can Utility Models provide protection to subjects with smaller levels of “inventiveness”?

Vítor Sérgio Moreira, Patent Engineer at Inventa International, provide a case study on utility models in Angola, Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal. Several countries allow protection of subject matters by means of Utility Models, which are generally considered as inventions having a smaller level of inventiveness. Usually, the utility models are examined by the Patent Offices acco...

October 28, 2020

Vítor Sérgio Moreira

Opinion OAPI Trademark Application Patent Trademark Africa

Amendments to OAPI system will shake up the entire registration process

The African Organisation for Intellectual Property (OAPI) IP system is ruled by the Bangui Agreement, which was amended in 2019. This has resulted in changes to the IP system for French-speaking countries in Africa. The main alterations are to the prosecution and litigation procedures with regard to trademarks, patents and administration. The amendments will come into force after it has been ra...

October 20, 2020

Joana Teixeira

Opinion Morocco Web Hosting Trademark Africa

Is Western Sahara a no-go for trademark protection?

Western Sahara is an Atlantic-coastal desert area of 266,000km2, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. A former Spanish colony, it has been on the the United Nations (UN) list of non-self-governing territories since 1965 along with 17 other territories. ‘Non-self-governing territories’ are defined as "territories whose people have not yet attaine...

October 13, 2020

Vera Albino

Jurisdiction