South African Trademark Registration & Prosecution Explained
South Africa provides several types of marks for registration , including word marks, device marks, colour marks, collective trademarks , digital marks and certification marks in the case of geographical indications. To register a trademark , the mark must distinguish or demonstrate the potential to distinguish the goods and services of one applicant from another. However, certain restrictions ...
Detailed information on trademark filing, prosecution and registration in South Africa.
Trademark Filing in South Africa
Trademark filing guide for South Africa with clearance, classification, prosecution , renewal, and official-source checkpoints.
A wide-ranging Q&A guide to trademark registration and use in South Africa, including key legal and practical considerations.
2025 Guide to the Trademark Registration Process In South Africa
5 Step Process for Trademark Registration in South Africa: follow our 2025 guide: 1, Conduct a trademark search. 2, Submit an application. 3, Examination of the application. 4. Publication for opposition.
TRADEMARKS FILING AND PROSECUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA A trade mark is a brand name, a slogan or a logo. It identifies the services or goods of one person and distinguishes it from the goods and services of another. Thus a brand name is a word or combination of words. A slogan is a short phrase or a sentence, and a logo is a distinctive picture or symbol. They provide a distinctive identity in the ...
South Africa Trademark Registration CIPC Filing Guide
South Africa Trademark Registration — CIPC Filing Guide South Africa is Africa's most developed economy and the continent's most important trademark jurisdiction. CIPC handles registrations for one of the world's most legally sophisticated emerging markets.
The registration procedure results in a registration certificate which has legal status, allowing the owner of the registered trade mark the exclusive right to use that mark. CIPC administers the Register of Trade Marks which is the record of all the trade marks that have been formally applied for and registered in the Republic of South Africa.
Register a trade mark
Register your trade mark with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), to prevent your competitors from using it. CIPC administers the Register of Trade Marks, which is the official record of all the trade marks that have formally been applied for and /or registered in the Republic of South Africa, since 1916.
Trade Mark Registration in South Africa Plain-English guide to registering a trade mark in South Africa through CIPC: searches, TM1, classes, R590 application fees, opposition, renewal and when to get trade mark attorney help.