Afghanistan Intellectual Property

• Providing registration services for businesses that intend to operate inside Afghanistan through the central and provincial offices

• Manage and regulate other business registration and licensing activities by the process of creating businesses (Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Companies..etc) that have been considered by law as legal entities in Afghanistan

• Providing registration and licensing services through the one-stop-shop in central and 21 provincial offices, and connecting all provincial offices through Internet to the central database

• Maintaining and keeping records of registered businesses in the General Directorate of Central Business Registry and Intellectual Property data-base and providing information to the requesting authorities in accordance with applicable laws of the country

• Provision of business licensing services to customers including renewal and modification in the businesses and cancellation of licenses

• To play a key role in the implementation of Government’s programs for formalizing the economy at the center and through provincial offices based on General Directorate of Afghanistan Central Business Registry and Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property Department Activities:

Purpose of Registering a Trademark as Intellectual Property:

The purpose of registering a trademark as intellectual property is to distinguish the products or services of a business from each-other. The registration of trademarks is valid for ten years from the date of the application

Benefits of Trademark Registration:

• Natural and legal persons can differentiate their products from each-other

• A good aspect for product and service marketing

• Applicants are encouraged to invest in improving the quality of products and services

• Registration of a trademark results into reputation of a company and can receive a loan

Conditions for registering a new trademark:

• The application for registration of the trademark must be filled out by the applicant in accordance with the procedure

• The person, legal representative or lawyer to be present

• Providing the required documents (Copy of License, National ID Card, Title of Trademark. If necessary an official representation for registration of a trademark)

• Payment of certain fees

• Review of the trademark within 21 business days since submission of the application to the registration office

• In the event of approving the trademark, sending the trademark for publishing it on the official gazette for public awareness

• When there is no objection and by completion of the timeline, certificate of the trademark is issued to the applicant

Details of the violations about the trademark are provided in the registration of the trademark registration law.

Intellectual property:

Is the result of brainstorming of the human being, that according to which a new and virgin thing is created. Such creativity by the human mind is protected by rules and regulations

Intellectual Property Rights:

A set of rules and regulations that protect the effects of thought, creativity and human initiative, and, in this regard, grants a series of permanent monitory and spiritual rights to the creator.

Global Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: Our beloved country, Afghanistan, became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2005. The creation of the Intellectual Property Office and the enforcement of its laws were among the obligations that thankfully, were put into effect. At the present, laws (trademarks registration, patents) Geographical indications, industrial designs, trade secrets and integrated circuits, and currently utilized in the process of registration of trade marks.

Department of the Intellectual Property based on the law, is the unique entity of registering business trademarks in Afghanistan and is performing its efforts based on the guidance of the Afghanistan Central Business Registry and Intellectual Property General Director. All activities related to this department are performed electronically by utilizing a modern well-equipped database