Process:

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• File a South African trademark
• You will receive your South African trademark application number within one South African business day
• If the trademark examiner raises any objections to your trademark, he will detail them in an examination report, which you should receive within 9‐12 months. Examination reports must be responded to within 3 months
• Within 15‐20 months of filing, your trademark should be accepted
• Notice of acceptance must be published in the South African Trademarks Journal within 6 months of the date of the notice of acceptance
• The published mark is open for third party opposition for a period of 3 months
• Within 6‐8 months of publication, you should receive a trademark registration certificate

Filing

Word type: Example of completed form ⇨
Logo type: Example of completed form ⇨

• Search for similar South African trademarks within similar classes
• Upload your logo or enter a word mark
• Select your class(es)
• Enter your details
• Sign forms
• Pay US$80 by credit card

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A registered South African trademark attorney will lodge your South African trademark with CIPC.

We should email you a trademark application number within one South African business day of payment.

Examination reports

If the South African trademark examiner has any objection to your trademark application, CIPC should issue an examination report (detailing any issues) within 9‐12 months of filing. Examination reports must be responded to within 3 months.

We will forward examination reports to you by email.

Upon receipt of the examination report, you may respond to the trademark examiner directly (without additional charge apart from nominal official fees that may be charged by CIPC for association of / changes to the trademark). Alternatively:

• ask us to provide an opinion (prepared by a South African trademark attorney) regarding how to respond to the examination report. Our fixed cost to provide this opinion is US$70; and
• ask us to effect the suggested response to the examination report. Our cost to do so is: US$70 for a routine response, and US$110 for a response that changes the trademark. We will quote for responses to "refusals" on a case‐by‐case basis.

Should you experience any issues during prosecution of your South African trademark, our South African agent (Sibanda & Zantwijk) can assist. You are free to contact S&Z directly.

Acceptance

Within 15‐20 months of filing, your trademark should be accepted. Acceptance of your trademark must be advertised in the South African Trademarks Journal within 6 months of acceptance.

We will email the notice of acceptance to you.

Upon receipt of the notice of acceptance, you may arrange publication yourself (without additional charge). Alternatively, ask us to arrange publication. Our fixed cost to arrange publication of acceptance is US$70.

Note: To ensure that advertisement occurs by the 6 month deadline, advertisement should be arranged no later than 5 weeks before the advertisement deadline.

Third parties may oppose registration of the trademark within 3 months of publication. Should no opposition be filed, your trademark will be registered, and the certificate issued.

Certificate of registration

Assuming no opposition is filed, we should receive your trademark registration certificate from the South African Trademarks Office (CIPC) within 6‐8 months of publication of acceptance. We send the registration certificate to you by email. If required, we could courier the original document to you for US$110.

Renewal

Trademark registrations must be renewed every ten years calculated from the South African filing date. To pay a 10‐year South African trademark annuity costs only US$65.

Your trademark registration is automatically uploaded to the PayAnnuity trademark renewal system ‐ an online renewal system that offers the most affordable patent, trademark and design renewals worldwide.