GERMANY

German is the official language used in the German trademark application. Applications submitted in languages other than English will be assigned a filing date as long as a German translation is submitted to the German Patent and TradeMark Office (DMPA) within three months of the application’s receipt. The DPMA may require the translation to be verified by a sworn translator or by a lawyer or patent attorney, and it may specify a deadline for this request.

Renewal

There is no set official grant fee for German trademarks. The German trademark has a ten-year expiration date from the date of filing, after which it may be renewed for additional ten years. The trademarks that were registered prior to January 14, 2019, have a validity period that expires on the final day of the month in which they were filed. Renewal fees for trademarks expiring on February 1, 2020, can be paid up to a year before the protection period ends. There is no surcharge on payments paid until the end of the second month following the due date. Six months before the expiration of the validity period, renewal payments are due for all other trademarks.

Trademark Requirement Procedure

After filing, it takes 10–18 months for examination and acceptance. Publication happens nine to twenty-four months after examination. A third party with an interest has two months from the date of publication to file an opposition to the application, which is published in the official gazette or bulletin. Registration takes from 18 to 30 months to finish.

Duration

In Ghana, a trademark registration is effective from the filing date for a period of ten years. Ten-year renewal periods are available for the registration.