Liberia IP: Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs, Copyright and Domain Names

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate with most rainfall arriving in summer with harsh harmattan winds in the dry season.

Today, Liberia is recovering, and despite its poverty and lack of adequate infrastructure, it has experienced economic growth.

Historically, the Liberian economy depended heavily on iron ore and rubber exports, foreign direct investment, and exports of other natural resources, such as timber. Agricultural products include livestock (goats, pigs, cattle) and rice, the staple food. Fish are raised on inland farms and caught along the coast. Other foods are imported to support the population. Electricity is provided by dams and oil-fired plants. Boy grinding sugar cane. Foreign trade was primarily conducted for the benefit of the Americo-Liberian elite. The country acted as a major trader in Liberian, Sierra Leonian and Angolan blood diamonds, exporting over $300 million in diamonds annually.

General Information

Capital:

Monrovia

Population:

3.5 Million

Languages:

English

Main exports:

Iron, ore and rubber

Government Type:

Republic

Dialing Code:

+231

Timezone:

GMT 0

Monetary Unit:

Liberian Dollar (LRD)

More information:

Liberia

International Arrangements

Membership in International Conventions
Membership of WIPO treaties:
- WIPO Convention, since March 1989.
- Paris Convention (Industrial Property), since August 1994.
- Berne Convention (Literary and Artistic Works), since March 1989.
- PCT (Patents), since August 1994.
- PLT (Patent Law Treaty), Signatory since June 2000.
- Madrid Agreement (International Registration of Marks), since December 1995.
- Rome Convention (Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations),
since December 2005.
- WTO: Not a member.
- Membership of other bodies/treaties: UCC
- Member of UCC since April 1956.
- ARIPO (since March 2010)

Patents

Patent protection is obtainable via a national filing. Liberia is a member of the International Convention and of PCT. While new legislation has been in the process of being drafted for a number of years, no details are yet available.

Requirements:
Documents require notarization and legalization up to Liberian Consular level. A specification in English is required.

Novelty:
The Liberian filing date or priority date should be:
(1)before the invention has been known or used by others in Liberia or patented or described in a printed publication anywhere, prior to its invention;
(2)before twelve months have elapsed between the invention´s being patented or described in a printed publication anywhere; and
(3)before the invention is described in a patent granted in Liberia under an earlier application.

Duration/Maintenance:
-Patents are granted for a term not exceeding twenty years calculated the date of grant for national applications, and from the international filing date for PCT national phase applications.
-Maintenance fees are payable annually as from the first anniversary of the filing date. A grace period of six months is provided.

Working:
-Working should be effected in Liberia within three years from the date of grant of the patent. If such working has not taken place, the patent is deemed to be abandoned. Nominal working may suffice to meet the working requirement.

Licences/Assignments
In order to be effective against third parties, assignments should be recorded within one year of execution. The position in regard to licences is unclear.

Trademarks

Requirements:
(a) Combined authorisation of agent, oath and declaration, legalised up to Liberian consular level.
(b) Twenty prints of the trade mark - word and device marks.

Classification:
-Whilst there is no formal classification, the international classification of goods and services is recognised and applicants should merely list the goods/services of interest.

MULTICLASSES:
-A single application may cover more than one class.

Licensing/Registered Users:
-Licensing is recognised. Recordation is required to be legally binding. The license agreement must provide for quality control by the licensor.

Requirements:
(a) License agreement, legalised up to Liberian consular level;
(b) Power of attorney from the proprietor, legalised up to Liberian consular level;
(c) Power of attorney from the licensee legalised up to Liberian consular level.

Assignments:
-Assignments are possible and must be made with goodwill of the business.
-Recordation is required in order to become legally enforceable against third parties.

Requirements:
(a) Deed of assignment, legalised up to Liberian consular level;
(b) Power of attorney from the assignee, legalised up to Liberian consular level;
(c) Original certificate of registration for endorsement.

Marking of Goods:
-Notice of registration by use of the legend ‘Registered Trade Mark’ or suitable abbreviation (eg. ‘Regd. Tm.’) or symbol ® optional.
-No requirement to show country of origin. Packaging of consumer goods is required to bear an English text.

Opposition:
-No provision.

Use:
Trade mark open to cancellation if not used within a period of two years.

Duration and Renewal:
A trade mark registration is effective for an initial period of fifteen years and, thereafter, renewable for like periods.

Designs and Models

Designs:
Previously it was not possible to get design protection in Liberia but we are pleased to advise that the new Act specifically provides for industrial designs.
International classification in terms of the Locarno Agreement is recognised.

Absolute novelty is required and convention priority may be claimed.
The term of protection is 5 years, extendible for two further such terms.

Contractual licences of industrial designs are obviously contemplated. There are no compulsory licences.
ARIPO design applications are provided for but Liberia’s lack of status in ARIPO means that the provision has no effect right now.

Copyrights

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works

As a member of the Berne Convention, it is possible to copyright protect creative works in this country as well as all the other member nations automatically (more than 160 countries), with one single application.

For more information and to submit us your works for worldwide copyright protection, click here.

Domain Names

Domain extension:

.lr

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Liberia IP: Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs, Copyright and Domain Names