The past year has brought numerous changes to the Jamaican
trademark practice. September 30th marked one year since
the Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules, 2022 came into effect, also
marking one year of Madrid Protocol in Jamaica.
Unsurprisingly, Jamaica has seen an influx of applications
through Madrid, however very few applications with Jamaica as the
Office of Origin. The amended Rules require a local agent to
respond to any objections or oppositions, in an effort to maintain
the integrity of the Register.
Last year, we noted that despite signing on to Madrid, Jamaica
remains a top choice for stealth filings. A year later, this
statement still rings true. Effective March 1, 2024, the Jamaica
Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) launched a new search platform
which restricts access to pending applications. New Applicants in
Jamaica that are desirous of conducting a trade mark clearance
search should therefore bear this in mind. While a search will
reveal published and