The Trade Marks Act 2015 entered into force in Trinidad & Tobago on 26th June 2020. The new law recognises International Registrations obtained under the provisions of the Madrid Protocol, and contains a number of provisions which will simplify the registration process. The changes brought in by the new Act include the abolition of Parts A and B of the Register and association of trade marks. Trinidad will henceforth follow the latest edition of the Nice Classification of goods and...

The long-awaited Patents and Designs Act was finally approved by the Senate in Jamaica on 23rd January 2020. This law, once it becomes effective, will repeal the current Patent Act of 1857 and Designs Act of 1937. There are widespread implications of the new law, and once it comes into force, the Act will serve to modernise Jamaica’s IP laws and bring them into closer conformity with those of other jurisdictions. The new Act will come into force on a day to be appointed by the Minister of...

The Trade Marks Registry in Somalia has been closed since 1991 as a result of the civil war and overthrow of the Government, followed by the consequential disruption to the country’s infrastructure. Since that time no one has been able to file new applications for trade marks, or renew trade mark registrations that existed in 1991. In the absence of a formal registration system in Somalia, trade mark owners may rely on publication of cautionary notices as a means of giving notice to third...