ERBIL – The Trademark Office of Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Al Iraq Region, announced that the trademark charges in Kurdistan will be the same as adopted by the Trademark Directorate of Baghdad, as per the decision issued by Kurdistan Presidency Council No.3306 dated April 1, 2013 and published at the Kurdistan Official Gazette.
Accordingly, starting from the beginning of June 2013, the following will be applied:
– Cancellation of the previous charges issued by the Ministry of Finance of Kurdistan. However, the charges will be interpolated as per the registration phases mentioned in the amended Trademark Law No. 21 of 1957.
– All trademark applications which have been accepted and published will be subject to the previous trademark charges.
– As from June 1, 2013 the new trademark charges will be applied according to the newly adopted tariff. Charges will be paid by each registration phase including examination phase, filing, publication, as well assignment, change, merger, cancellation, etc.
– The amended Trademark Law No. 21 of 1957 will be enforced with regard to the legal period of each phase of registration.
– Filing applications will be conducted using the legal forms available at the Trademark Office of Kurdistan in Arabic and Kurdish.
It is worth mentioning that the trademarks already registered in Baghdad could be protected in the Kurdistan Region through obtaining a certified copy of the certificate of registration of the subject mark. It must be attached to a certification letter from the Trademark Directorate of Baghdad addressed to the Trademark Office of Erbil which confirms the registration of the trademark in Baghdad. Also note that this service is chargeable.
Source: Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP), AGIP Bulletin June 2013
http://www.agip.com
