In one Kurdistan Region file, an opposition against a third-party mark was accompanied by the owner's own applications for the name of a children's character. The applications were meant to support the opposition.
The result was different. The Registrar refused the owner's application because of the very mark under opposition, rather than holding it back until the opposition was decided. The instructing agent expected examination to be suspended; we could take no action other than wait for the opposition decision.
As we advised in July 2025: if the opposition is accepted, the similar mark will be cancelled and the owner's mark can proceed. If it is rejected, the only solution is to pursue a court action to cancel the other mark. As of October 2026, the opposition was still pending, with no decision issued.
If you oppose and file in parallel in Kurdistan:
- Warn the client that the new application may be refused on the opposed mark
- Do not assume examination will be suspended
- Expect a wait with no fixed timetable: this one was still undecided after more than a year
- Diarise a court cancellation action as the fallback
Opposing a mark in the Kurdistan Region? Our Erbil team can help you plan both tracks.