IMPORTANT CHANGES: ZANZIBAR

Zanzibar Business and Property Registration Agency (BPRA) is a Government Institution based in Zanzibar. BPRA Office is responsible for registration activities ranging from registration of commercial/business entities as well as property registrations. All registrations are done under the provision of their respective legislation, foristance, registration of industrial property rights are done under the Zanzibar Industrial Property Act No. 4 of 2008.

Currently, the office is headed by Mr. Abdulla Wazir Ramadhan.

BPRA has made a significance changes which intends to soften and increase transparency and efficiency in industrial property rights. The Agency has done the following important changes:-

1. Authorized Agent

Currently, any authorization of agent should be placed to an individualperson within a law firm having a practicing certificate to practice law before the High court of Zanzibar and subordinate court thereto and registered as an Industrial Property Agent before the Zanzibar Industrial Property Office.

2. Allocation of number

The previous practice was that, the allocation of numbers to the application for industrial property rights was immediately done by the Registry at the time of lodging an application. Nowadays it takes two to three working days to allocate the number to the application. This changes is very important has itintends to create transparency. The current practice of allocation of numbers will enable the registry to reduce the mistakes by conducting formality examination to the application before allocation of application number to determine whether application form is dully filled and compliance in payment of application fee.

3. Acceptance for industrial property rights application

These days, acceptance notification is issued uponsubstantive examination of the application by the Registry. It takes 1 to 2 week to issue acceptance notification. This has positive impact as it intend to do away with registration of similar or identical marks.

4. Publication of the journal as to statutory requirements

On 24 of February, 2020, the Chief Executive Director of the BPRA issued a public notice to the effect that, all accepted Trademarks applications shall be published in the Industrial Property Journal prepared by Zanzibar Business and Property Registration Agency (BPRA). The publication (Journal) shall be for every month from 1st March, 2020 which will be available through BPRA website. The notice further directed all payment in respect of publication to be effected through the BPRA account at the People’s Bank of Zanzibar (PBZ).

No advertisement will be accepted for publication in the Journal unless it has been approved, and it actually carries proof of such authorization, by the Registrar of Industrial Property, as the case may be, for publication.

THE ZANZIBAR INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY JOURNAL is the official journal of industrial property for the Zanzibar Industrial Property Office. It incorporates the Patent, Utility models, Design, marks and Geographical Indications.

The Industrial Property Journal: the Official Journal of Patent, Trade Marks for Zanzibar is published, only in English, on the 1st day of every month.