Trademark Certificate for Egypt

Protecting a U.S. Brand in Egypt

With more than a hundred million consumers and a busy trade in imported goods, Egypt is an important market for U.S. brands, and also one where unauthorized registrations and counterfeit goods are a real risk. A U.S. trademark registration does not protect a brand in Egypt by itself, but it is often the starting point: Egyptian agents and authorities regularly ask for an official copy of the U.S. registration, legalized for use in Egypt, when a brand owner files, defends or enforces its mark there.

Where trademarks are registered in Egypt

Trademarks in Egypt are handled by the Trademarks and Industrial Designs Office, under the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade. A U.S. owner can file nationally through an Egyptian agent, or designate Egypt in an international registration under the Madrid Protocol, which Egypt has joined. Under the Paris Convention, a national filing in Egypt made within six months of the U.S. filing can claim the U.S. date as priority, and a certified copy of the U.S. application may then be requested as the priority document.

When a legalized U.S. registration helps

Beyond priority claims, a legalized certified copy of the U.S. registration is useful in several situations: supporting an opposition against someone else’s application for a confusingly similar mark, seeking cancellation of a bad-faith registration, proving that a mark is well known, recording a license or an assignment with the Egyptian office, and working with customs or enforcement officials against counterfeit imports. Your Egyptian agent will say which document is required and whether it must show the current owner after any change of name or ownership.

Getting the right USPTO document

The document Egypt accepts is a certified copy issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, either of the registration certificate or of the status and title record, showing the current owner. A copy downloaded from the USPTO’s online records is not certified and cannot be legalized. If the owner’s name or address has changed, record the change at the USPTO first, so the certified copy matches the applicant shown in Egypt. Classes and goods descriptions in Egypt follow the Nice Classification and must be in Arabic, so expect your agent to translate after legalization.

Legalization through Washington and the embassy

A USPTO certified copy is a federal document. The Arab American Chamber of Commerce submits it to the U.S. Department of State for authentication and then to the Embassy of Egypt for legalization; no notary or Secretary of State is involved, and Egypt does not accept apostilles. The power of attorney appointing your Egyptian agent is a separate private document that is notarized and legalized on its own route. For opposition deadlines and priority dates, contact us early for current timing and fees.