News: Trademark registration in Tunisia

Registration of trademark in Tunisia

On October 16, 2013, Tunisia joined the Madrid system, which guaranteed to entrepreneurs more convenient registration and improved protection of trademarks. The Madrid system is under the control of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).

The WIPO unites the member countries of the Madrid Treaty, allowing business owners to obtain protection of trademarks in the territories of all states included in the indicated system, by submitting one application to one country.

Thus, trademark in Tunisia provides entrepreneurs with automatic expansion of geographical operation of the trademark and does not require re-registration of the trademark in another state that operates under the Madrid system. In this case international application is registered.

Documents for registering a brand name in Tunisia

Submission of international application for trademark in Tunisia requires certain package of documents. All of the following documents are provided in a single copy.

• Application in free form with request for registration of trademark.
• The WIPO form filled in English or French.
• Check on payment of the international fee. The fee is paid by Swiss francs. It can be submitted together with the application or within 3 months after sending of the application.
• Check on payment of the fee for filing the application and sending the documents to another country (it is not obligatory document, and it is attached at the initiative of the legal representative or the applicant himself).

If the applicant for trademark in Tunisia does not act personally but through the representative, it is necessary to attach power of attorney or its certified copy for representing the interests of the individual to the package.

In addition to the abovementioned, it is necessary to provide the company representing your interests with full information about the company registering the trademark, and the graphic image of the trademark in electronic format.

The application is sent to the Office of Origin, which should verify it and send it to the WIPO.

Further, examination for the uniqueness of the trademark, registration of the trademark in the international registry and official publication of the trademark in the Bulletin are carried out.

After that, the WIPO notifies both parties (the country to which the application was submitted and the applicant for registration) of the positive decision and issues a certificate on obtaining the trademark in Tunisia to the applicant.

Upon the issuance of the certificate, registration is considered as completed, and the registered trademark in Tunisia is protected by the WIPO.