Somalia Intellectual Property Law
Classification
Somalia follows the old Italian classification of 49 classes. A single application may cover more than one class.
Convention priority
Priority cannot be claimed because Somalia is not a member of the Paris Convention.
Examination/procedure
Examination as to formal requirements only.
Opposition
The opposition procedure has not been stipulated in law. It is anticipated that legislation will be introduced soon to regulate this procedure. However, marks are published and, in practice a notice of opposition, together with supporting evidence, may be filed for consideration by the IPO.
Duration and renewal
A registration is effective for a period of 20 years and, thereafter, renewable for like periods.
This is an OAPI member country, please refer to OAPI Patent section.
Somalia is not a member of the Berne Convention.
It has not been possible to obtain information on the current position regarding the protection of copyright.
This is an OAPI member country, please refer to OAPI Design section.
SOMALIA: UPDATE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FEE REVISIONS AND LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
Somalia has announced a revision of the official fees for intellectual property matters, effective 1 October 2025. The changes include a reduction in the trade mark filing fee and the introduction of ...
December 17 2025
Everything you need to know to apply for a Trade Mark in Somalia
Pursuant to the provisions of the Somali Trade Mark Law No. 3 of 22 January 1955, and its amendment by Law No. 33 of 18 January 1975, the Somali Trademark Office (TMO) has recently introduced examinat...
February 08 2021
Africa Update 2020 - Somalia
Registry Operational In January 2020, notification was received to the effect that the Somalia Registry was now operational and that it was now possible to file trade mark applications in Somalia. The...
October 27 2020
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