As you may have seen from our previous newsletter and website updates, the Government of Jamaica recently deposited its instrument of accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), so making it the 154th PCT member state. In the build-up to this accession, Jamaica announced dramatic changes to its IP legislation, with the repeal of its archaic patent law which dated back to 1857 and its 1937 design law. It has just been announced that the new “Patents and Designs Act, 2020” is expected to...

Various amendments have recently been made to the Harare Protocol on Patents and Designs and the Implementing Regulations, which came into force on 1st January 2022.  Some points of particular significance to note about these amendments are as follows:   Contracting States As reported previously, the Seychelles has recently deposited its instrument of accession to the Harare Protocol on Patents and Industrial Designs, and this law came into force there on 1st January 2022. ...

It has just been announced that the new OAPI IP laws concerning trade marks, designs, utility models and geographical indications will enter into force on 1 January 2022.   The changes introduced by the new law include the following:-   1) The definition of a trade mark is broadened to include sounds. 2) The new law extends examination of trade mark applications on absolute grounds, to include the possibility of refusal on the basis that a mark lacks distinctive character or may...