Region: Nigeria

This decision of the Federal High Court in a case involving the ‘eNaira’ - the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new digital currency - broadens the scope of Section 13(2) of the Trademarks Act.

03 December 2021

Recently, the Nigerian Patent Registry unexpectedly directed applicants whose patent applications failed short of the relevant requirements to file the applications as utility models patents. The move has caused concern as it is not backed by any legal provisions or framework.

18 October 2021

The co-author of a new study into Nigerian counterfeits reveals what international brand owners and IP associations can do to improve the situation.

07 October 2021

Today we are pleased to announce that the Nigerian subsidiary of telecommunications giant MTN Group is the winner of WTR’s 2021 Europe, Middle East and Africa Team of the Year Award.

24 August 2021

The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property has not yet been fully implemented in Nigeria, which has triggered recent calls for action by stakeholders.

30 July 2021

WTR’s Legal Updates are written by a select panel of over 160 leading experts who analyse the latest trademark-related developments and decisions in more than 60 jurisdictions.

29 July 2021

Nigeria still relies on crude oil as its main export and economic driver. However, it is believed that, with a strategic IP legislation on GIs, non-oil exports could be better harnessed to achieve economic diversification.

08 June 2021

The pandemic and related effects of lockdown have had a big impact on the continent’s IP ecosystem. Vanessa Ferguson at Von Seidels runs through some of the most significant upheavals and sets out what rights holders should do to safeguard their brands.

27 May 2021

Each quarter we will be running a series of pieces presenting recent Legal Updates that you may have missed. For our next instalment we turn our attention to the Middle East and Africa.

03 May 2021

Although Nigeria’s trademark law does not protect unregistered well-known trademarks against similar or identical company names, the owners of such marks may be able to rely on Section 852(1)(d) of the new Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020.

08 April 2021