In one Kurdistan renewal portfolio this year, a foreign colleague asked why each renewed mark came back with two certificates, and which one was the correct one. Our answer: the Trademarks Registrar in the Kurdistan Region customarily issues one certificate in Arabic, the official language adopted in Iraq, and one in Kurdish, the national language of the people of Kurdistan. Both are valid and legally effective.
Translations. The agent could not use the documents, or forward them to its client, without English translations. Plan for that from day one.
The docket. The date on which a renewal application was filed has no relation to the next renewal due date. In that file we confirmed that the marks are renewed every ten years, calculated from the filing date, so a docket keyed to the day the renewal was lodged will be wrong.
When you renew a Kurdistan trademark:
- Expect two certificates per mark, Arabic and Kurdish
- Order English translations together with the certificates
- Ask your Kurdistan agent to confirm the next due date in writing; do not derive it from the renewal filing date
Renewing a Kurdistan trademark portfolio? Our Erbil and Baghdad team can walk you through the paperwork.