The new Trade Mark Law of Myanmar passed in 2019 had been due to enter into force on 1 April 2021. However, the military coup which took place in Myanmar in February 2021 has meant that the Grand Opening of the Intellectual Property Office will be delayed.   The Intellectual Property Office has been accepting applications since 1 October 2020 during its “soft opening period”. During this time, trade marks previously recorded at the Registry of Deeds under the old system can be filed with...

At the beginning of 2020 we reported that the Somali Ministry of Commerce and Industry had once again started accepting trade mark applications for the first time since the civil war in 1991. We understand that these applications are now to be cleared via a pre-filing search, examined on absolute grounds and published for opposition purposes prior to grant. It is no longer recommended, or necessary, to publish cautionary notices.   Somalia became a Federal Republic in 2012 and, as per...

With effect from 1st January 2021, the UK’s membership of various WIPO-administered treaties, including the Paris Convention, the Berne Convention and the PCT, was extended to include the territory of Gibraltar. For more information please contact the author, Louise Audhlam-Gardiner, at louise@lysaght.co.uk