Kurdistan – extension to registration term; direct local filings required

Written By Richard Stilwell

‍ On 01 April 2026, the Registrar of Trademarks in Kurdistan issued a decision extending the term of trade mark protection from 10 years to 15 years.

This was an administrative decision specific to the Kurdistan Trademarks Office and does not constitute formal amendment to Iraqi Trademark Law No. 21 of 1957.

The decision only applies to trade marks for which registration certificates are issued stating that the term of protection is 15 years. This includes filed applications and renewal applications pending on the effective date.

Registration certificates issued before this decision, which specify a 10-year term of protection, will continue to be renewed based on the term of protection stated in the respective registration certificate. The 15-year term will then apply upon next renewal.

At the same time, it was announced that extensions of Iraq (Baghdad) trade marks are no longer valid in Kurdistan, and the only route to protection is now through independent application to the Kurdistan IPO in Erbil. Most notably, this directive applies retroactively to existing registrations as well as to all pending applications.

The removal of this route and the low volume of direct applications to date puts the Kurdistan IPO at risk of bad faith filings. To mitigate this risk, Kurdistan examination continues to cite conflicting prior rights revealed from the Baghdad Register, as well as online searches.

Immediate action required:

1.      File direct applications in Kurdistan if relying on invalid Baghdad extensions

2.      Update your docketing rules to account for the change in protection term

Should you require any assistance with IP matters in either Iraq or the de-facto state of Kurdistan, please reach out to your usual Lysaght contact or email us at admin@lysaght.co.uk.

Richard Stilwell

Richard is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and manager in the Patents and Design department.  He is responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of the department, as well as being part of operational working groups to develop and enhance internal policies and procedures. Richard graduated from the University of Leeds in 2012 with a Master’s degree (with Distinction) in Medicinal Chemistry, which included a placement year with a major U.K. pharmaceutical company. He joined Lysaght in 2015 and has worked in the IP industry for over ten years. In 2016 Richard was awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property (with Distinction) from Bournemouth University, and he became a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney in 2018. He adds a considerable skill set to the company, where he is responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio, particularly for patent cases in the Caribbean and Middle East.  In his dual role, Richard also handles prosecution and contentious matters within the trade mark department in several complex jurisdictions.

Previous

Protecting your IP in Gaza: Trade Mark Office resumes key services
Next

Argentina – Repeal of restrictive patentability guidelines for biotech inventions