- African
2. The current trademark regulations in Tunisia are mainly based on Law No. 2001-36 on the Protection of Trademarks and Trade Services, which was promulgated on April 27, 2001.
3. The Tunisian Trademark Office is responsible for managing trademark affairs and the official language is Arabic.
4. The Tunisian trademark registration adopts the principle of "application first".
5. Currently, Tunisia adopts the Nice Classification 11th edition of product and service descriptions and accepts applications for multiple categories in one form. The elements that can be registered as trademarks in Tunisia include: text, graphics, letters, numbers, slogans, commercial appearance/decoration, etc.
6. It should be noted that Tunisian trademark registration cannot apply for expedited examination.
Tunisia is a party to international intellectual property treaties such as the Paris Convention, WIPO Convention, TRIPS Agreement, Nice Agreement, Vienna Agreement, and Nairobi Treaty; As a member state of the Madrid Protocol, trademark registration can be handled through "single country registration" or "Madrid International Registration".
The Tunisian trademark is valid for 10 years after registration, starting from the date of application; Renewal can be processed within 6 months before the expiration date, with a grace period of 6 months; The renewal period is 10 years.
1. Applicant's name and address
2. Product or service project/service name;
3. Trademark design
4. Power of attorney, signature required
5. If priority is declared, proof of priority must be provided
Firstly, the applicant conducts a search of the trademark name at the Tunisian Trademark Office to ensure its registrability;
Next, the applicant needs to submit the corresponding materials based on the documents prepared by the Tunisian Trademark Office; The legality review of submitted application documents, trademark designs, power of attorney and other documents by the trademark registrar; Those who meet the requirements will be granted the application date and application number;
The trademark has entered the substantive examination period, and according to the law, it will be examined whether the trademark has registrability, whether it is the same or similar to a previously registered trademark, and whether it violates the prohibition clause of the Trademark Law. For trademarks that fail substantive examination, the registrar will notify the applicant in writing and inform them of the reasons for rejection. The applicant may submit a re examination within the time limit from the date of receiving the rejection notice. Otherwise, the application will be deemed abandoned, and the application date and number will not be retained;
The reviewed trademark will be published in the official trademark announcement of Tunisia, and from the date of announcement, it will be subject to a trademark opposition period; Trademarks that have been ruled to be eligible for registration after opposition, or trademarks that have been published without opposition, will be approved for registration and a trademark registration certificate will be issued.
