In December, 2018, Samoa joined the Madrid Protocol, becoming the 103rd member of the Madrid System. The treaty for Samoa will enter into force on 04th March, 2019.
This means that trade mark owners, who file International applications through the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) as the receiving office, will, from 4th March, 2019, be able to designate Samoa in their new international application, or owners of existing international registrations can apply to subsequently designate Samoa 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, Samoa 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)).
This system of trade mark registration provides applicants with the possibility to apply for trademark registrations through one specific administrative process in 119 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.
