Libya – Trade Mark Office to resume accepting applications
The Libyan Trade Mark Office has announced that it will resume accepting new trade mark applications on 2 September 2024. These operations have been suspended since November 2022.
In addition, some new requirements for trade mark applications were introduced in Libya with effect from 1 May 2024. Inter alia, the new provisions require that both a legalised Power of Attorney and a company registration document must accompany trade mark applications. The latter document may be an extract from the commercial register, a certificate of incorporation, or any similar document that verifies the legal existence of the company and must include an Arabic translation.
The Power of Attorney and company registration document will be valid for only 1 year, and so it is necessary to submit fresh legalised documents annually; failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the trade mark registration. All documents must be filed in their original form, and must be legalised by the Libyan Consulate in the applicant's home country. Documents that have been legalised outside of Libya must undergo further local attestation by the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Collaboration to confirm the authenticity of the consular legalisations.
Late filing of the required documents is only permissible for applications claiming priority; in such cases, the original legalised documents must follow within 40 days of the application’s filing date.
For further information on the costs or documentary requirements for trade mark applications in Libya, we would be pleased to answer your questions.
