Trademarks & Service Marks

Section 2(1) of schedule III of the Bangui Accord provides that “ Any visible sign … to distinguish the good or service of whatsoever enterprise shall be considered a trademark or service mark in particular, surnames by themselves, or in a distinctive form, special, arbitrary or fanciful designations, the characteristic  form or container of a product, labels, wrappings, emblems, prints, stamps, seals, vignettes, borders, combinations or arrangements of colours, drawings, relief, letters, numbers, devices, pseudonyms…”

A mark may thus be defined to include, but not limited to: a device, brand, heading, label, ticket, name, signature, word, letter, numeral, smell, etc, or any combination of these.

The following are the details we shall require to prepare and file your trade mark application:

1. Full name and address (including nationality) of the owner;
2. Specification of goods/services;
3. 10 prints of the mark (if a simple word mark ignore this);
4. Classes of goods/services (in the OAPI system in force, product marks and service marks are the objects of distinct applications);
5. Colour claim (if any);
6. Priority claim and priority document (if any);
7. Assignment of priority right (if any);
8. Power of Attorney (notarisation not required).