In Nigeria, the best place to register a trademark is with a trademark agent, who are essentially lawyers. The Firma Advisory has two offices in Nigeria, an office in Lagos and one in Abuja.
There are a few requirements that will be provided by the applicant before an application is submitted and processed for Registration. The Firma Advisory is a registered trademark agent in Nigeria, having processed dozens of trademark applications for both domestic and foreign companies.
A trademark is a recognizable word or terms, signs, or symbols that are registered to signify or recognize a company, goods, or services in order to differentiate them in the marketplace. A trademark is typically filed at the Trademark Registry in Abuja, Lagos, or Port Harcourt by accredited agents.
A trademark must meet the following criteria in order to be registered:
The applicant's name is the name of a corporation or a person.
The applicant's contact information
A made-up term or collection of terms. The word or terms that have no direct relation to the character or quality of products that are not specified in their normal specifications. a surname or a geographical name
Where applicable, a Power of Attorney
A logo
In order to file a trademark application with the Nigerian Trademark, Patents, and Design Registry, the applicant must meet the Trade Marks Act's specifications.
The following are the steps to registering a trademark in Nigeria:
Name, address, email, and phone numbers will be given by the applicant.
For filing, a description of the class of the product or service to be reported is needed.
Where appropriate, a logo to reflect a product or service.
A translation of the words in English will be given for filing if the label is a non-English word.
After that, a search is done to see if the proposed trademark is identical to any other marks already in use.
The application will be filed and the official payment will be made if the search is successful.
The Trademark Registrar issues a Formal Acknowledgment form of a receipt after the application is filed, indicating the official number and date of filing.
A notice of approval will be given to the applicant if the registrar is pleased with the distinctiveness of the mark, that there is no identical mark, and that the mark has been thoroughly tested to determine if it is suitable for registration.
The approval letter confirms that the trademark has been licensed, and the trademark is then published in the Trademark Journal, where any opposition may be filed within two months of publication.
If no opposition or objection is lodged within the prescribed time span, the Trademark Registry will issue a Certificate of Registration.
Intellectual Property Office
The Trademarks, Patents and Designs Registry, which is located in Shehu Shagari Way, Commercial Department of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Abuja, Nigeria, is the country's central trademark registration office. For any trademark registration, however, it is recommended that all applicants use the services of a trademark-accredited agent. The Firma Advisory, for example, has trademark registration offices in Lagos, and Abuja. An applicant may, however, register a trademark without physically entering the firm's office. Both trademark registration specifications can be completed and submitted online to the Firma Advisory via mail or WhatsApp.
Instructing an Accredited Agents
An applicant must first identify and notify a trademark agent or lawyer in Nigeria who will facilitate the filing and processing of the application at the Trademark Registry before continuing with the trademark registration process.