Algeria Trademark Registration

In Algeria, trademark registration is mandatory to be granted rights over a trademark, as it is a “first to file” jurisdiction. Only in some exceptional cases can an unregistered trademark be protected.

Trademark applications must be filed with the **Algerian National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI). Algeria is also a member state of the Madrid Protocol, so you can extend an existing international trademark to Algeria through the Madrid System.

If you register a combined trademark (with both word and figurative elements), the exclusive right to use the mark is limited to the exact configuration in which it was filed and registered. If you want to use and protect the word or logo elements separately, it is recommended to file additional trademarks for those elements.

To register a trademark in Algeria, you will generally need:

• Original Power of Attorney, signed. No notarization or legalization required.
• The name or logo you want to register
• The applicant’s details

Your iGERENT consultant will confirm the exact requirements for your case and guide you through each step.

The average application process takes 7 months. This is an estimated timeframe for straightforward cases based on current processing times and may vary considerably.

Registered trademarks in Algeria are valid for 10 years from the application date and can be renewed indefinitely for further periods of ten (10) years.

The renewal can be requested:

• Up to six (6) months before the expiration date, or
• During a six (6) month grace period after expiration, in which case a late renewal fee will apply.

If a third party intends to register or use a trademark for similar goods or services that includes a primary or distinctive part of your trademark, you have the right to file a cancellation action based on prior rights within five (5) years after their trademark has registered.

The chances of success for such actions will vary in each case depending on the circumstances.

Although a trademark does not have to be in use in order to register, it must not go unused for more than three (3) years after registration, or it will become vulnerable to cancellation actions based on lack of use.

To prevent this, the mark must be used on a commercial scale.