Sudan – New Regulations

KHARTOUM – The Sudanese Trademark Office (STMO) issued new regulations on 18 June 2012 with immediate effect. The main points are:

New Applications:

• Upon filing a new application, in case of any missing document the Registrar will notify the applicant, giving one month for late filing of missing documents.
• Replying to office actions or complying with the conditions imposed by the Registrar within 1 month from date of notification.
• After the application is published, and at the end of the opposition period (which is 8 months from publication date), the applicant must complete the registration procedure within 2 months to avoid lapse of the application.
• Filing requirement in respect of the power of attorney has been amended from simply signed to notarized, while other required documents such as Certificate of Incorporation or Extract from the Commercial Register should be legalized up to the Consulate of Sudan abroad in addition to Nationality Declaration simply signed, which remains unchanged.

New Applications:
As per article 19-1 of the Sudanese Trademark Law, a trademark should be renewed within 6 months before expiry or maximum within 6 months after expiry.

In the light of the new regulations, the STMO has given 6 months grace period from the date of these new instructions to attend to the renewal of expired trademarks.

Should you need more clarifications please contact sudan@qumsie.com.