Trademark Registration in Uganda

In Uganda, a trademark must be registered in order to be properly protected and to grant its owner exclusive rights. Without registration, enforcing rights over a mark becomes much more difficult.

Local trademark registration is handled by the Uganda Registration Service Bureau URSB.

Trademark protection for Uganda may also be obtained regionally through the **African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO), since Uganda is a member and a party to the Banjul Protocol. Registration via ARIPO grants protection not only in Uganda but also in several other countries, such as Botswana, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Eswatini, Uganda, Tanzania (mainland) and Zimbabwe. You can find more details on our page about trademark services in ARIPO.

If you register a combined trademark (including both word and figurative elements) in Uganda, your exclusive right to use the trademark is limited to the exact configuration in which it was filed and registered. If you plan to use the word element separately from the logo (or vice versa), it is advisable to file a separate trademark that covers only the elements you want to use and protect on their own.

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

• Scanned copy of a signed Power of Attorney. 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 in Uganda takes 5 months. This is an estimated processing time for straightforward cases, based on current application timeframes, and it may vary considerably depending on the specific circumstances of each filing.

For trademarks registered locally in Uganda, the initial registration term is 7 years from the filing date. After this first term:

• The trademark can be renewed indefinitely for successive periods of ten (10) years each.

This structure means that the first cycle is seven years long, and all subsequent renewal periods are ten years.

(Information regarding how ARIPO registrations are renewed regionally should be checked in the relevant ARIPO rules; here we are focusing on the local Ugandan registration term.)

Yes. If a third party attempts to register or use a trademark for similar goods or services that includes a primary or distinctive part of your mark, you may oppose the application based on confusing similarity. The likelihood of success will depend on the particular circumstances of each case.

Oppositions against conflicting trademark applications may be filed within 60 days from the date on which the conflicting trademark is advertised in the official government gazette.