Ghana: POA issuance formalities

 

The Industrial Property Office of Ghana has observed that several submitted POAs do not comply with the Powers of Attorney Act, 1998 (Act 549) and Regulation 1 of the Trademarks (Amendment) Regulations, 1972 (L.I. 792). Therefore, they issued a notice to all agents of services to ensure compliance with the said act and its following mandatory requirements:

 

  • The POA document must be printed on the applicant company’s letterhead and bear its official stamp/seal, if available.
  • The personal name, designation, and signature of the authorized signatory or proprietor must all be clearly stated and included on the POA document.
  • The personal name and signature of the witness must also be clearly stated and included.

 

We at JAH Intellectual Property have consistently complied with the requirements of the Ghanaian Registrar and will continue to ensure all documents are in conformity with the law. This notice is a reminder to all our clients and associates of these critical legal requirements for their future cases.

 

Lebanon: Trademark Assignment Process Simplified.

 

In a recent change to its trademark assignment process, Lebanon has reverted to its previous practice concerning the assignment of trademarks. The Lebanese trademarks office no longer requires the submission of the original trademark registration certificate to process an ownership transfer which was used before for endorsement purpose. Consequently, the only documents now needed for a trademark assignment are a Power of Attorney and a Deed of Assignment and scanned copy of the registration certificate. This policy change allows the registrar to issue the assignment confirmation statement upon receipt of these two documents alone.

 

Nigeria’s Trademark Registry Introduces Temporary Manual Process for delayed Online Applications

 

In a recent meeting with trademark agents, the Nigerian Trademark Registry announced a new temporary solution to address the persistent delays with its online platform. Applications that were initially filed online but have long been pending can now be manually resubmitted. Currently, this new process applies to specific actions the online portal cannot handle, including amendments, appeals, refusals, and withdrawals. To use this option, a written request must be submitted along with copies of all relevant documents. While this is a positive step forward, it remains unclear how effectively the new manual process will function in practice. Our team is closely monitoring the situation to ensure we continue to use the most efficient and reliable methods for our clients.