Sri Lanka

The Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003 governs and deals with the mechanism of registration of trademarks in Sri Lanka.

A Trademark registered could be any name, color, logo, symbol or sound that uniquely identifies the source of the goods and services. In Sri Lanka, the Trademarks protected can be categorized as follows:

1. CONVENTIONAL TRADEMARKS including word mark, device mark, collective mark and certification mark.

2. NON-CONVENTIONAL TRADEMARKS including color mark, slogan mark and shape mark.

3. WELL-KNOWN TRADEMARKS

In Sri Lanka, the 10th edition of Nice Classification is accepted by the Trademark office.

The examination report is usually issued within 3-6 months approximately.

Once the trademark is registered, it is valid for a period of 10 years from the date of application.

The date of application is considered as the effective date of registration for a Trademark.

The following information and documents are required to file the Trademark application in Sri Lanka:

1. The applicant’s name and address.

2. A copy of the trademark to be registered consisting of its logo, class and details of goods and services.

3. Power of attorney.

In Sri Lanka, a signed and sealed power of attorney would suffice.

The POA must be submitted at the time of filing the Trademark application.

The time period to file a notice of opposition is 3 months from the date of publication of the Trademark in the official gazette.

Trademark protection is available for 10 years from the date of application, renewable every 10 years on payment of the required fee.

The documents required at the time of filing the renewal of Trademark application are as follows: Power of attorney Copy of registration certification Copy of last renewal certificate if applicable

The documents required are as follows:

1. CHANGE OF NAME: Certified copy of extract from the Registrar of Companies with required translation Power of Attorney

2. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Certified copy of extract from the Registrar of Companies with required translation Power of Attorney

3. ASSIGNMENT: Deed of Assignment Power of Attorney

4. MERGER: Deed of Merger Power of Attorney

5. LICENSE: License Agreement Power of Attorney

The non-use cancellation period of a Trademark is for 5 years from the date of application.

Trademark registration is a lengthy process and it takes around 15-18 months approximately to obtain registration.