Registration of industrial designs in Egypt – Every company that owns an industrial design and intends to expand its business in the Egypt market should use the Egyptian intellectual property system. It is paramount for businesses to file an industrial design application in Egypt for industrial designs, even if the launch of the respective product on the market in Egypt has not yet commenced.
Requirements for Industrial Design Registration Application in Egypt
The official language when registering an industrial design at the Egypt Intellectual Property Office is Arabic.
The following information and documents need to be provided in the application for registration of an industrial design in Egypt:
- name, address, and nationality of the applicant, business address;
- request for registration of аn industrial design;
- proof that the respective fees have been paid;
- design drawings.
- description of the design;
- proof of payment of the prescribed fees.
The authorization of the Power of Attorney in Arabic up to the Egyptian Consulate is necessary. It can be filed concurrently or within 6 months after filing an industrial design application.
If the applicant is a legal entity, an extract of the page of the commercial register where the entity is recorded, an official extract of the Constitution Act, or a reproduction of the statute must be submitted concurrently or within 6 months of the application’s filing.
A certified copy of the Priority Document must be filed within three months of the filing date.
In Egypt, the filing deadline for an industrial design application claiming conventional priority is six months from the priority date.
Examination of an industrial design application in Egypt
In Egypt, a design application is subjected to both formal and substantive examinations. There will be no specific examination request or charge.
Validity period and renewal of industrial designs in Egypt
In Egypt, the novelty grace period is 6 months before the filing date. It does not disprove the novelty of the design if the industrial design became available after the application for registration in a World Trade Organization member country or a country that applies reciprocity to Egypt, or if the disclosure occurred in a national or international exhibition or a publication about the industrial design in a conference or a scientific periodical.
The patent for industrial design is granted once the formal registration cost is paid. The length of validity for an industrial design patent in Egypt is ten years from the filing date. This term can be extended once for another 5 years by paying renewal costs during the last year of the protection period. Within a three-month grace period, late renewal is available by paying a corresponding surcharge.
Represented by an industrial design registration attorney
An international applicant for an industrial design registration in Egypt should perform an industrial design search in Egypt through a law firm, or an industrial design attorney.
You can find a list of Egypt IP firms here.
