- African
2. Official languages: Swahili, English
3. The acquisition of trademark rights in Kenya is based on the principle of prior use, accepting registration applications for commodity trademarks, series trademarks, joint trademarks, defensive trademarks, and certification trademarks.
4. Using the classification method of the Nice Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of Trademark Registration, an application can only contain one category. Products of different categories should be submitted separately.
Kenya is a signatory to international intellectual property treaties such as the Paris Convention and the WIPO Convention; As a member state of the Madrid Protocol, trademark registration can be processed through either "single country registration" or "Madrid international registration".
The trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of approval and registration. During this period, if the trademark owner does not renew the trademark, they will not be able to enjoy the protection provided by the Trademark Law, and the trademark will be revoked by the Trademark Office. Unless otherwise stipulated in the Trademark Law, the right holder must submit a renewal application within 6 months before the expiration of the registration validity period. If no renewal application is submitted within the 6-month grace period, the trademark will be revoked by the Trademark Office. If the rights holder applies for renewal during this period, the Trademark Office will accept it.
The renewal period is 10 years. During this period, if the rights holder wishes to continue using their trademark, they can apply for registration renewal and pay a certain fee.
1. Trademark design.
2. The power of attorney signed by the applicant.
3. Applicant's main qualification certificate (business license or personal ID card)
4. Applicant's Chinese and English names and addresses
5. Specify the category and specific name of the goods and services (including 20 items/classes).
Formal examination: The application submitted by the applicant must undergo formal examination to confirm that its trademark registration application meets the formal requirements stipulated in the Trademark Registration Application.
Substantive examination: According to Articles 9 and 10 of the Trademark Regulations, any trademark that passes the formal examination has legal effect against any third party. This kind of third-party effectiveness can be achieved by raising an objection to the third party within three years from the date of registration application, and the applicant must respond to the objection within the three-year period.
Announcement: During the announcement period, anyone can raise an objection, and the objector must be the applicant specified in Article 9 of the Trademark Regulations.
Registering a trademark in Kenya generally takes 10 months, but there are also a few trademarks that only take about 5 months.
When registering a trademark, we usually see our trademark name and international classification number in the trademark announcement, and it usually takes 5 months to see them officially.
Within one month from the date of application, the examiner will review the formal legality of the application documents. If they meet the requirements, a trademark registration certificate will be issued and published in an official journal. If a trademark registration application is rejected, withdrawn, or revoked for other reasons, the applicant may submit a new trademark registration application to the Trademark Office within one year from the date of rejection, withdrawal, revocation, or revocation.
