Trademark registration in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa. Minerals, gold, and agriculture are the main foreign exports of Zimbabwe. Tourism also plays a key role in its economy. The mining sector remains very lucrative, with some of the world’s largest platinum reserves being mined. The Marange diamond fields, discovered in 2006, are considered the biggest diamond find in over a century. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of trademark registration in Zimbabwe.
Necessary documents for trademark registration in Zimbabwe
Necessary documents for trademark registration in Zimbabwe include:
- The application for trademark registration;
- Detailed information of the applicant (name, nationality, address, etc.);
- Detailed information of the representative or attorney (name, nationality, address, etc.);
- Classification of goods and/or services;
- Trademark sample;
- Priority documents (If any);
- The prescribed fee;
- Other necessary documents.
The procedure for trademark registration in Zimbabwe
To obtain trademark protection in Zimbabwe, the applicant needs to file their trademark application to the Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office (ZIPO).
After receiving the application, the examiners will conduct a thorough examination to check if the application complies with the regulations of the law and is registrable.
If there are no problems, the application is published publicly.
Opposition actions against a trademark application in Zimbabwe may be presented within a time period of 2 months after it is published by the Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office.
Trademark renewal and use requirement
If there are no oppositions or the applicant is ruled in favor of an opposition action, the mark is registered and the applicant will receive the trademark registration certificate.
After registration, a trademark in Zimbabwe will have a protection period of 10 years from the filing date.
Every 10 years, the trademark owner may file for renewal to extend the protection period for an additional 10 years period.
To maintain the right over the trademark, the trademark owner needs to use it in commerce for a continuous period of 5 years, or else the mark might be vulnerable to cancellation actions filed by third parties.
The use might be minimal.
Notes when registering a trademark in Zimbabwe
Besides the traditional national filings, the applicant can also seek trademark protection in Zimbabwe by regional trademark registration.
This can be done as Zimbabwe is a member of the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) and a party to the Banjul Protocol.
Registration through ARIPO grants protection and recognition in the following ten countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Sao Tome, and Principe, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania (mainland), and Zimbabwe.
In addition, Zimbabwe is also a member state of the Madrid Protocol. Accordingly, the applicant can file for trademark registration through the Madrid System to obtain trademark protection in Zimbabwe and every other Madrid System’s member country.
You can see a list of Zimbabwe IP firms here.