Thanks to several years of stable economic development, Tanzania is in a favourable growth position and maintains high hopes for foreign investment and local expansion. Due to the Patent and Trademark Office’s efforts to expedite the trademark application procedure via the introduction of electronic applications in 2018, the country has...

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Thanks to several years of stable economic development, Tanzania is in a favourable growth position and maintains high hopes for foreign investment and local expansion. Due to the Patent and Trademark Office’s efforts to expedite the trademark application procedure via the introduction of electronic applications in 2018, the country has become a hub of IP activity and a significant player in the East African region. In fact, in 2021 the High Court of Tanzania made history when it — for the first time —  ruled on the protection of well-known trademarks against infringing company names registered by third parties. The case, involving subsidiaries of the JC Decaux Group against JP Decaux Tanzania Limited, establishes a new principle and sets a precedent in the country to prevent bad-faith registrations from gaining an unfair advantage. Tanzania’s consistent attempts to strengthen its case law and show an understanding of the value of intellectual property makes it an excellent example for other developing nations in Africa.

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