Trademark Registration In Uganda: What You Need To Know

Uganda is an East African Country that follows the common law system as a former colony of Great Britain. Intellectual Property law in Uganda thus falls under this system. Trademark protection is regulated by the Trademarks Act (No. 17 of 2010). Protectable subject matter under this law, is defined as a sign or combination of signs, capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings.

The filing process

A foreign applicant appoints a local agent to undertake the application process on his or her own behalf by filing a Power of Attorney with the government Intellectual Property Office. This authorizes the agent to undertake all actions on behalf of the trademark applicant, which includes carrying out a search at the trademark registry, upon payment of a prescribed fee, to ascertain whether the trademark exists in the register.