March, 2005

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
Legislation on Industrial Property

With the recent publication and enforcement of the legislation which establishes the National Industrial Property Services (Serviço Nacional de Propriedade Industrial - SENAPI) and determines the amount of the official fees to be charged for the several services and, lastly, creates the board of official industrial property attorneys, the legislation regarding industrial property matters, including the prohibition of unfair competition, is now concluded in the Portuguese speaking country of the Republic of SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE.

On the other hand, the National Industrial Property Services has already been established.

Therefore, it is currently possible to file applications of trademarks, patents, models, business names, geographic indications and appellations of origin in Sao Tome and Principe.

We are at your disposal for any further information that you may need. On the other hand, we hope to conclude the arrangements to handle all the industrial property matters in the country in question very soon, namely in what refers to trademark applications, as it happens in other Portuguese speaking countries of Africa, such as Angola and Mozambique.

Considering the above, from now on we expect to receive your kind instructions for us to prepare the applications for industrial property rights to be filed in the referred African country.