Fo
llowing the separation of Sudan and South Sudan in 2011, a trademark must be subject to dual protection so as to be safeguarded throughout the territory of the two countries. Trademarks registered in Sudan are no longer protected in South Sudan. Thus, it is advisable to have two distinct registrations.
The Ministry of Justice of South Sudan is responsible for the completion of formalities under the 1969 Sudanese law. The existing system is expeditious (2 to 3 months to secure a registration certificate) but requires that an application to be filed for each proposed class (mono class system).
Once registered, the trademark will be protected for a renewable period of 10 years in the territory of South Sudan.
Any application filed today will only be legally enforceable once the new law, which is currently being debated in Parliament, shall come into force. However, protection will run retroactively from the filing date.