Intellectual Property In Guernsey

Guernsey has reformed its Intellectual Property laws and produced a set of legislation that establishes the Island as a leading offshore jurisdiction for the development and exploitation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The first of the new Intellectual Property laws came into force on 1 January 2006. Later, on 1 June a new Intellectual Property Office was opened, providing for primary trade mark registration in Guernsey for the first time. Since its opening the Guernsey IP office has experienced a 100% increase in registrations and related transactions.

Guernsey's legislation has been introduced after a comprehensive review of other jurisdictions, including the UK, EU, Americas, Asia and Australasia. In some cases it has been modelled on comparable UK and EU provisions, but some rights have been specifically designed to overcome shortcomings in those regimes. Other rights have been drafted to