KAMPALA - The Republic of Uganda has adopted the Ninth Edition of the Nice Classification effective June 2009. Accordingly, trademarks can now be registered in service classes 35 - 45, a press release by Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) stated.
The Ugandan Registry is now accepting service marks and therefore, it is recommended that the proprietors of service marks should now file applications to secure their rights in Uganda.
The Nice Classification is based on a multilateral treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This treaty is called the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks, which was concluded in 1957.
This Classification is commonly referred to as the Nice Classification, whereas, the Nice Agreement is open to States party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
Use of the Nice Classification by national offices has the advantage of filing applications with reference to a single classification system. The preparation of applications is thereby greatly simplified, as the goods and services to which a given mark applies will be classified in the same way in all countries that have adopted it.
Furthermore, the fact that the Nice Classification exists in several languages saves applicants a considerable amount of work when they have to file a list of goods and services in a language other than that of the country of origin of the mark.
