In 06th February, 2023, Mauritius joined the Madrid Protocol, becoming the 114th member of the Madrid System. The treaty for Mauritius will enter into force on 06th May, 2023.
This means that trade mark owners, who file International applications through the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) as the receiving office, will, from 06th May, 2023 be able to designate Mauritius in their new international application, or owners of existing international registrations can apply to subsequently designate Mauritius to add it to their existing registrations.
The deposit includes a declaration for the extension of the refusal period to 18 months and beyond for oppositions (Articles 5(2) (b) and (c) of the Protocol). Further, Mauritius will become one of the early adopters of the new rules regarding the division and merger of International Registrations (Rule 40(6) of the Common Regulations, concerning new Rules 27 bis (1) and 27 ter (2)).
The Madrid system of trade mark registration provides applicants with the possibility to apply for trademark registrations through one specific administrative process in 130 jurisdictions around the world. Since the application can be filed for several countries and in one single language and payment only has to be made for one set of fees in one currency, the process is very cost-effective.
Please contact us at Info@cfllegal.com should you require further information.
