1. Sierra Leone (The Syllanes) is a landlocked country located in West Africa and a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. As a former British colony, Sierra Leone's trademark registration system is inherited from the British intellectual property legal system and the Sierra Leone Trade Mark Act has been enacted. Under the Trade Marks Act, any trade mark registered and recognised in the UK (including assignment and assignment) shall have legal effect in Cyprus at all times, together with some or all of the trade mark for which it is registered.
2. Sierra Leone's laws for the protection of trademarks include Act No. 17 of 1913, Act No. 9 of 1923, Act No. 26 of 1929 and Act No. 10 of 1940.
3. The Registration Administration of the Ministry of Justice of Sierra Leone is responsible for the management of various registration and certification affairs in Sierra Leone, including trademarks. Director and Chief Registrar of the Bureau. The official language is English.
3. The creation of trademark rights is based on the principle of prior use.
4. The trademarks that can be applied for registration are: commodity trademarks, series trademarks, joint trademarks, and certification trademarks. The trademark registration in Sierra Leone divides the trade mark into 50 classes, which are classified in much the same way as the previous classification in the United Kingdom. Trademark registration is based on the principle of one application for one class.
Sierra Leone is a party to international IP treaties such as the Paris Convention and the WIPO Convention, and is a member of the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol.
The trademark in Sierra Leone is valid for 14 years after registration, and can be renewed within 6 months before the expiration date, and the renewal is valid for 14 years.
1. The applicant's name and address in both English and Chinese; If the application is made in the name of a legal person, a copy of the business license or valid registration certificate shall be attached with the official seal; If the application is made in the name of a natural person, one copy of the personal identification document shall be attached;
2. The categories and names of goods and services to be protected;
3. Trademark drawings;
4. Power of attorney.
1. Formal examination
After the application for trademark registration in Sierra Leone is submitted, the Trademark Office of Sierra Leone will review the legality of the submitted application documents, trademark drawings, power of attorney and other documents; For those who meet the requirements, the filing date and application number will be granted.
2. Substantive examination
The Sierra Leone Trademark Office examines whether the application is registrable under the Trademark Act, whether it violates the prohibitive provisions of the Trademark Act, etc. For applications for registration of trademarks in Sierra Leone that have not passed the substantive examination, the examiner will notify the applicant in writing and inform them of the reasons for the refusal. The applicant is required to file a review after receiving the notice of refusal, otherwise the application will be considered abandoned and neither the filing date nor the application number will be retained.
3. Announcement objections
Once the trademark registration in Sierra Leone has been examined, the application will be published in the Trademark Gazette. Anyone can file an objection, state their reasons, and submit relevant evidence within the 3-month notice period.
4. Approval of registration
The application for registration of a trademark in Sierra Leone that is ruled to be registrable after an opposition, or if there is no opposition after publication, will be approved for registration and a certificate of registration of a trademark in Sierra Leone will be issued.