I registered my company’s trademark with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office ( JIPO)  about six months ago. I thought the process would have been complicated, but it was fairly easy. Although their website was a bit daunting, the staff was really helpful.

Step 1

First things first, you need to have a Logo/Trademark.  The Trade Marks Act, 1999, defines a Trade Mark as:

any sign that is capable of being graphically represented and capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking (i.e. any person, company or business entity) from those of another undertaking

It may be a good idea to do a search for  identical or similar marks . Any similar/identical marks would prevent your TM from being registered. There are two ways to do a search according to JIPO.

1. The applicant or his representative may conduct the search manually at a cost of $500 per hour or for any fraction of an hour.
2. The applicant may request that JIPO conduct the preliminary search and provide advice. A Form TM23 must be used to request this search; the applicant must provide a representation of the Mark and the list of classes and the appropriate goods and/or services. The cost for this search is $1500 for the first class, and an extra $1000 for each additional class

N.B Searches have to be done at the JIPO office ( I don’t know why this can’t be done online).

I didn’t do any searches because I was confident that EduFocal’s Logo was unique But be warned, if you don’t do a search and your Trade Mark is rejected your application fee  will not be refunded and you’ll have to pay to for another application.

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