Trademarks - General Information

  • Filing System: Multi-Class Filing System.
  • Classification of goods/services: 11th Edition of Nice Classification.
  • Registrables: trademarks, service marks, collective marks, movement marks, quality marks (certification marks), 3D marks, smell marks, sound marks, colour marks.
  • Member of Paris Convention: yes.
  • Claiming priority under Paris Convention: yes.
  • Filing international registration under Madrid Agreement: yes.
  • Filing international registration under Protocol to Madrid Agreement: yes.
  • Time from filing to registration: 11 months.
  • Protection (registration) duration: 10 years from filing date.
  • Examination type: substantive examination.
  • Examination time: 3 months.
  • Opposition period: 2 months from the publication date.
  • Time limit to pay registration fees after the end of the opposition period: within 2 months from the date of receiving a notification of registration from the Trademark Office.
  • Use: a registered mark may be subject for a cancellation action by any interested party if it has not been used for 5 consecutive years.
  • Renewal application can be made within: 6 months before expiry.
  • Renewal duration: 10 years.
  • Grace period to renew after expiration: 6 months with penalty.
  • Method of conducting the search: official search and non-official search.
  • Search for a device: possible.
  • Time required to complete the search: 3 days.
  • Recording an assignment on a pending application: possible.
  • Publication after recordal of the assignment: in the Official Gazette.
  • Recording a change on a pending application: possible.
  • Publication after recordal of the change: in the Official Gazette.
  • Publication after recordal of the merger: in the Official Gazette.
  • Publication after recordal of the license: in the Official Gazette.
  • Time period of the license: can be decided by parties.

As of 3 March 2016, the Trademarks Office started publishing 2 issues of the Bulletin each month.