In South Sudan, the legislative deadlock of the Intellectual Property Bill of 2015 continues, awaiting enactment by parliament. This means it is not yet possible to register new trade marks in the country.
The good news is that existing registrations remain valid in the meantime, and South Sudan has also lifted the suspension on trade mark reservations. This means that trade mark owners can now reserve their trade marks, and the registration process will be completed once the Bill is enacted.
South Sudan is also maintaining a database of reserved trade marks and is conducting searches to make sure that identical or similar trade marks are not reserved in the names of different proprietors.
It's important to note that trade marks reserved or filed before the suspension of registration operations in 2014/15 won't need to be reserved afresh.
While the wheels of the legislative process slowly turn, South Sudan continues its balancing act between providing a fair framework for intellectual property rights and fostering an environment conducive to creativity and innovation.
Reviewed by Ilse du Plessis, an Executive in ENSafrica's IP practice.
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