CLYDE & CO UPDATER - DOING BUSINESS IN TANZANIA: TRADE AND SERVICE MARKS REGISTRATION

In this month’s briefing, we look at how entities engaged in doing business in mainland Tanzania can protect their trade and service marks (Trademarks).

Trademark registration is governed by the Trade and Service Marks Act of 1986 and Trade and Service Marks Regulations of 2000, as amended. Trademark registration is done through the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency’s (BRELA) Online Registration System (ORS). It is important to take note of some of the information and documents required in an application for Trademark registration:

1. A duly completed consolidated form.
2. Name, occupation and address of the applicant.
3. A power of attorney to appoint a Trademark agent (if required).
4. An image of the proposed mark (except for word marks in ordinary type). 
5. A priority document (if applicable) with a verified English translation, if the proposed Trademark is in a language other than English.
6. A specification of Nice Classification (NCL) description on the goods and services for which the Trademark is to be registered.

Further to paragraph “6” above, NCL is an international classification of goods and services established by the Nice Agreement of 1957 and applies to Trademark registration.

The application fee is TZS 65,000 (approximately USD 28) which includes TZS 50,000 (approximately USD 22) registration fee and TZS 15,000 (approximately USD 6) advertisement fee. Please note that fees may change over a specific period.

Once the required information is filed on ORS and accepted, BRELA will advertise it on the Trademark journal.

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