Industrial Designs - General Information

  • You can claim priority according to Paris Convention within: 6 months from the first filing date.
  • Member of: Paris Convention, ARIPO.
  • Allowed time to submit the assignment deed from the date of signing the agreement: no time restrictions.

A UK registered design automatically extends its validity to Sierra Leone. No re-registration of the UK registered design is required.

The design remains in force for as long as the UK design remains in force.

Protection of industrial designs in Sierra Leone can be also obtained via ARIPO. Since Sierra Leone has not implemented the Harare Protocol (which regulates patent and design filings in ARIPO) in its national laws, it is not clear whether ARIPO design registrations would be enforceable in Sierra Leone or not.