Rwanda - Register a Trademark

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Procedure

Apply by E-Mail

1. Visit the Bank of Kigali or any of its branches to pay the Trademark search fee by depositing the prescribed amount to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) account and obtain the payment slip
2. After payment, prepare the require documents to requesting a search for the Trademark, these documents include; an application letter addressed to the register general requesting for trademark search, search payment slip, Mark sample ( reproduction of the mark) and classification you are applying for.
3. Scan all the search requesting documents and send to the RDB via this email address; [email protected]
4. Once the application has been received and accepted, you will receive a journal receipt notice in your email address
5. The IP unit will conduct a search depending on your application and notify you of the outcome within the next two working days form the day you applied through your email address and or via a call; In case the trade mark is not available, you will need to revise it before resubmission of the application and when the trade mark is available, you will proceed to the next steps.
6. Go to the Bank of Kigali, pay the Trademark registration fees and obtain the payment slip
7. Obtain the application form for trademark registration from the RDB office fill it and attach all the required documents to it i.e. Application letter, Reproduction of the mark, Classification, Certificate of domestic company registration, and the payment slip. Scan these documents and send them to the IP unit via this email address: [email protected] for the Trademark registration
8. The Intellectual Property Unit will verify your complete application and if it is correct, it will be forward for processing
9. Once the processing is complete, the registration officer will inform you by telephone or email when the certificate is ready.
10. Visit the RDB office IP unit with the journal receipt to pick the certificate or send an authorized representative with a notarised power of attorney to collect it on your behalf
    

NOTE: Applicants who do not reside in Rwanda must be represented by an authorized industrial property agent in Rwanda

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Required Documents

• Application letter
• Application form
• Reproduction of the mark
• Classification
• Certificate of domestic company registration
• Payment slip

Office Locations & Contacts

RWANDA DEVELOPMENT BOARD
KG 220 St, Kigali P.O Box 6239
Tel: 1415 / +250 727 775 170
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website:RDB

Eligibility

• A trademark has to be new and not smiler to other marks for it to be registered

Fees

• RWF 5,000 for trade mark search fee
• RWF 30,000 for trade mark application fee
• RWF 5,000 for initial Nice classification
• RWF 3,000 for each additional class of Nice classification if applicable

Validity

• The validity of the registration of a trade mark is 10 years from the filing date of the application for registration and it is eligible for a renewal at the end of this period for another 10 years

Documents to Use

• Application form (Sample) word doc

Sample Documents

• Trademark registration certificate

Processing Time

• Between one and three months

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Before you apply for trademarked protection, ensure that your trademark can be registered by searching for other marks that may have already been registered as trademarks, keep in mind that a smiler registered mark cannot be registered as a trademark, hence a trade mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization or any other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trade mark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products and services from those of other entities.

Required Information

• Name
• Address
• Classification
• Description
• Dates and Signature
• Sample

Need for the Document

• A registered trademark, gives protection rights to the owner and cannot be used by other organisation as the identity mark

Information which might help

Enter other information which might help

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• RDB business procedures

Others

More information which might help people.