The ‘new’ Namibian Industrial Property Act came into force on August 1 2018. It provides that trademark oppositions are to be heard by the Registrar of Trademarks and the invalidation of trademark registrations is to be heard by the Industrial Property Tribunal.
Africa’s single market presents a wealth of opportunity if IP rights holders can navigate the complexities of the continent, says Mohamed Jameel Hamid of Adams and Adams.
IP reforms swept across the continent in 2022, with trademark laws updated and a heightened focus on patent systems, say Somayya Khan and Pieter Visagie of Adams & Adams.
What is standard across different jurisdictions in Africa is that when companies are registered or incorporated, no cross-check of the trademarks register is conducted, to ensure that their names do not conflict with existing registered or internationally well-known trademarks owned by third parties.