Trademark

Article 73

The application for registration of a mark shall be filed with the Trade Registry Department in the manner and form laid down in the Regulations. The Regulations shall prescribe the fees due for the application and all procedures related to the mark. Such fees shall not exceed a total of 5,000 pounds.

Article 74

A mark shall be registered in respect of one or more of the categories of goods produced, or intended to be produced, by the applicant in accordance with the rules and conditions prescribed by the Regulations.

Its use shall be limited to the category, categories or the kinds of products for which it has been registered.

Provisions of Article 91 shall apply to the categories for which the mark has not been seriously used.

Article 75

Where an application for registration of a mark is filed in a country or an entity member in the World Trade Organization, or a country which extends reciprocity to Egypt, the applicant, or his rightful successor, may, within six months from the date of filing the application, file with the Department in Egypt a similar application for the same mark, covering the same products included in the previous application, in accordance with the terms and conditions prescribed by this Law and its Regulations.

In such a case, the priority date shall be that of the first application in the foreign country.

Article 76

Where two or more persons apply simultaneously for registration of the same mark, or similar marks for the same category of products, registration shall be suspended until such time when one of these persons shall have produced a renunciation by the other claimants or until a binding judgment has been issued in his favor.

Article 77

The Trade Registry Department may, in a motivated decision, require the applicant to undertake the necessary modifications on the subject mark in order to define and clarify the mark so as to avoid its confusion with a mark already registered, or a mark for which a registration application has already been filed.

Such decision shall, within 30 days of its issue, be communicated to the applicant in writing, by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.

The Department may reject the application should the applicant fail, within six months of the notification, to introduce the amendments required.

Article 78

The applicant may appeal the decision of the Department mentioned in Article 77, within 30 days from the communication of such a decision. Appeals are considered by a committee, or committees, which shall be appointed by the competent minister and be composed of three members, one of whom shall be a member of the Council of State.

The Regulations of this Law shall prescribe the rules of establishing such a committee, as well as the procedures for the submission and consideration of such appeals and the decision thereon.

Article 79

Without prejudice to the right of the applicant to appeal in conformity with the law, in case the committee referred to in the preceding article endorsed the decision to refuse the registration of the mark on the grounds that the it is similar to a mark already registered for the same goods, or for one category thereof, the registration of such a mark may not be made in favor of the applicant except on the basis of an enforceable court decision.

Article 80

The Department shall have the decision of accepting the application for registration of the mark published in the Gazette of Trademarks and Industrial Designs, in the manner prescribed by the Regulations.

Any interested party may submit, in writing to the Department, within 60 days from the date of publication, and according to the conditions prescribed by the Regulations, a motivated opposition to the registration of the mark.

The Department shall then send a copy of the opposition to the applicant, within 30 days from the receipt of such a notification.

The applicant shall, within 30 days from the receipt of notification, provide the Department with his motivated written reply to the opposition, failing which he would be considered to have withdrawn his application.

The Regulations shall prescribe the rules and procedures in this regard.

Article 81

The Department shall, after hearing both parties, motivate its decision on the opposition, to accept or reject the registration. In its decision of acceptance, it may require the applicant to fulfill any requirements it may deem necessary to register the mark.

Article 82

The decision of the Department referred to in Article 81 may be appealed before the competent Administrative Court, in accordance with the procedures and time limits provided for in the law governing the Council of State.