It is still early days in the revision process of the Angolan Industrial Property Law Act. The purpose of the new draft bill is to bring the current Industrial Property Law, which was enacted in 1992, in line with international standards.

The draft bill, which is in Portuguese, seeks to amend various sections of the current Industrial Property Law. On 23 November 2018, a meeting was held with the general public to discuss the draft bill, and comments/submissions to the provisions of the draft bill are still being accepted by the Angolan Institute of Industrial Property. The deadline for submitting the comments has not yet been set. Once the draft bill has been finalised, it will be submitted to Parliament for further discussion and approval.

Although the draft bill has not yet been finalised, it is considered as a step in the right direction. We must add, however, that this is the 4th draft which has been made available during the past 6 years. Whether anything will come of it is therefore uncertain.

We will continue to monitor the position and provide updates as and when they happen.

You can also read our previous article regarding the protection of well known trade marks in Angola, here.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.