AMMAN - Jordan has endorsed Law No. 15 of 2008 amending Articles 2, 25, and 37 of the Jordanian Trademark Law No. 33 of 1952. The amended Law was published in Official Gazette No. 4900 dated April 16, 2008, and entered into force as of the date of its publication, a press release by Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) stated.

The first amendment relates to the definition of well-known trademark. According to Article 2 of Law No. 33 of 1952, a well-known trademark is “the mark with a world renown whose repute surpassed the country of origin where it has been registered and acquired fame in the relevant sector among the consumer public in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

As per the amended Law, the following has been added to the definition, “taking into consideration the regulations issued by the competent minister in this respect and in accordance with the international agreements related to well-known trademarks to which Jordan is a member.”

Meanwhile, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 25 have been annulled and replaced with the following, “the trademark owner may grant a license, as per a written contract, to one or more persons to use the trademark for some of all of the products or services for which the trademark has been registered. Also, the trademark owner shall have the right to use it unless otherwise is agreed upon. The licensing period must not exceed the protection period of the registered mark.”

It is noteworthy that as per Law No. 33, recordal of license agreement was compulsory; however, in light of the new amendments, it is no longer obligatory.

The third amendment relates to Paragraph 1 of Article 37 of Law No. 33 of 1952, where the maximum fine to be imposed on trademark violators has been increased from 3000 Jordanian Dinars to 6000 Jordanian Dinars.