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Sudan |
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Patent and Design Registrations
TRADEMARK REGISTRATIONS
1. Filing requirements
1.1 Full name,
street address and description of the applicant (including trading style,
if any, and state/country of incorporation, if incorporated).
1.2 List of goods and/or services.
1.3 A simply signed power of attorney.
1.4 15 prints of the mark.
1.5 Block for each class of products or services.
1.6 Certificate of Incorporation for companies (if necessary, with a
legalized translation into English), legalised up to the Sudanese Consulate.
2. Classification
2.1 The 45 classes of the International classification are followed.
3. General
3.1 Duration
: 10 years from date of application and renewable for further periods
of 10 years.
3.2 Use : Not compulsory.
3.3 Marking : Compulsory.
3.4 Licenses : Permitted.
3.5 Assignments of applications are permitted.
4. Costs
4..1a Application:
First trade mark/class $1600.00, additional classes filed simultaneously
$1400.00 each.
4.1b Claiming priority: $95.00
4.2 Assignment: First trade mark/class $910.00, additional trade marks/classes
filed simultaneously $630.00 each.
4.3 Preparation of documents: $130.00.
4.4 Recordal of change of name or address: First trade mark/class $480.00,
additional trade marks/classes filed simultaneously $320.00 each.
4.5 Licenses: First trade mark/class $970.00, additional trade marks/classes
filed simultaneously $575.00 each.
4.6 Renewal : First class $950.00, additional classes renewed simultaneously
$830.00 each.
4.7 Searches: 1 mark in 1 class - From $350.00
PATENT REGISTRATIONS
Sudan is a member of the International Convention, ARIPO and of the PCT.
The requirements for filing a non-PCT application in Sudan are as follows:
(a) A Power
of Attorney - simply signed and stamped by the applicant's seal or otherwise
duly notarised;
(b) An Assignment of Invention (not required if the inventor(s) and
applicant(s) are the same) - simply signed and stamped by the assignee's
seal or otherwise duly notarised;
(c) If filed in the name of a company, a certified copy of the certificate
of incorporation of the applicant company and its articles of incorporation
duly legalized up to a Sudanese Consulate. A certified and legalized
translation is also required if the document is not in either the English
language or the Arabic language;
(d) A copy of the specification (including claims, drawings, and abstract)
in English;
(e) Title and abstract in Arabic; and
(f) A certified copy of the priority application and, if necessary,
a certified translation into English thereof.
Please note that the documents listed under items (d) and (e) are required on the day of filing. Items (a), (b), (c) and (f) can be late lodged within 3 months of the national filing date.
The requirements for filing a PCT application in Sudan are as follows:
(i) A Power
of Attorney - simply signed and stamped by the applicant's seal or otherwise
duly notarised;
(ii) A copy of the specification (including claims, drawings, and abstract)
in English;
(iii) Title and abstract in Arabic; (iv) A copy of the PCT International
advertisement;
(v) A copy of International Search Report;
(vi) A copy of International Preliminary Examination Report; and
(vii) A copy of Form PCT/IB/304.
Please note that the documents listed under items (ii), (iii), and (iv) are required on the day of filing. Items (i), (v) to (vii) can be late lodged within 3 months of the national phase entry date.
We estimate that the cost of filing a patent application in Sudan will be between about US$ 2200.00 and US$ 2400.00 (excluding costs for translation into English, if necessary, but including Arabic translations of the title and abstract).
Please also note that annuity fees are payable on pending applications, and are payable annually from the first anniversary of the filing date (which is deemed to be the international filing date for PCT applications) at a cost of about US$ 350.00 per year.
PATENT AND DESIGN REGISTRATIONS
In our experience, it is better to file an ARIPO regional application designating at least Sudan rather than a national application direcly in Sudan. The main reason for our opinion is that ARIPO is run by WIPO and, accordingly, operates much more efficiently than the Sudan Patent and Design Offices. Furthermore, the cost of filing an ARIPO application designating only Sudan is about the same as the cost of filing a national application directly in Sudan. A further benefit of the ARIPO route is that it is possible to designate other ARIPO member countries by paying additional designation fees at a relatively nominal surcharge.
For more information on ARIPO patents click here.
For more information on ARIPO designs click here.