Ghana Trademark registration
Ghana is a member of the Paris Convention Paris Convention for the protection of Industrial Property 1883, Stockholm Act of July 14 1967, the Convention on establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of July 14, 1967, and the World Trade Organization - TRIPS Agreement. Legal basis is the Trademark Act 1965 (Act 270) and the Trademark Regulations 1970 (LI667).
Requirements
A trademark application has to be filed before the Trademarks Registry by a local agent. A non-legalized power of attorney is sufficient.
Procedure
Examination and acceptance takes 10-18 months from filing. Publication takes place within 9-24 months of examination. The application is published in the Gazette or an official Bulletin and an interest third party has, after publication, two months within which to file an opposition. It takes approximately 18-30 months to complete a registration.
Duration
A trademark registration in Ghana is valid for 10 years and starts with filing date. The registration is renewable for periods of 10 years.
Extra
Duly note, if the trademark has not been used within 5 years from issue of the registration certificate or has not been used later for a continuous period of 5 years, it may be subject to cancellation.