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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN TANZANIA MAINLAND

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Opposition Term

60 days

Registration Term

07 Years

First Renewal Term

10 Years

Subsequent Renewal Term

10 Years

  • Tanzania is a member of the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) and a signatory to the Banjul Protocol.

  • In Tanzania, the trademark applications can also be filed locally through the Tanzanian Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA).

  • A separate trademark application has to be filed for each class, which can be made in English or Kiswahili.

  • The third parties can file opposition actions against a trademark application within two (02) months following its publication in the Trade and Service Mark Journal.

  • In Tanzania, the registered trademarks have a validity of seven (07) years from the date of registration, which can be further renewed indefinitely for periods of ten (10) years.

  • Tanzania - Mainland is a member of the Paris Convention, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and ARIPO.

  • A patent application in Tanzania - Mainland can either be filed with the Registrar of Patents at Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) or through African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). This summary of patent information in Tanzania - Mainland is as per the rules and regulations of BRELA only.

  • The Patents (Registration) Act, Cap 217 [R.E. 2002], deals with the mechanism of patent protection.

  • In Tanzania - Mainland, any invention that satisfies the conditions of novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability, subjects to patentability.

  • The patent of invention lasts for ten (10) years in Tanzania - Mainland; however, the patent holder may request for an extension of another five (05) years only if the request has been made in not more than twelve (12) months and not less than one (01) month before the expiration of the patent.

  • For maintaining the validity of a patent, an annual fee should be paid in advance to the registrar beginning from the second year after the date of application.

  • Tanzania is a member of the Paris Convention and ARIPO.

  • At present, there isn't any effective national law on industrial design registration and protection in Tanzania-Mainland.

  • There is no provision in Tanzania for independent industrial design registration. As Tanzania-Mainland is a member of ARIPO, industrial design protection can be obtained by filing an application with ARIPO and designating Tanzania. However, in the absence of the national law on industrial design registration, it is not certain as to whether enforceable rights can be obtained in Tanzania by way of an ARIPO registration or not.

  • An industrial design registered in the UK automatically extends protection to Tanzania. No re-registration of the UK registered industrial design is required. The industrial design remains in force in Tanzania for so long as the corresponding UK design (on which it is based) remains in force.

  • Tanzania - Mainland is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.

  • The Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (No. 7) Act, 1999, deals with the mechanism of copyright protection in Tanzania - Mainland.

  • In Tanzania - Mainland, the authors of creative works are entitled to copyright protection upon creation and without any formality.

  • The standard copyright protection term lasts for the lifetime of the author plus fifty (50) years following his death. However, the duration of copyright protection varies depending on the type of work.