Egypt

FAQ


The term of protection of a design application is 10 years that can be renewed for extra 5 years only for a total of 15 years.


An industrial design is any composition of lines or any three-dimensional form whether or not associated with colors provided that such composition or form gives a special appearance of novelty and is industrially applicable.
And we can proceed with filing the design application using the drawings.


Filing the application as an industrial design will give all the requested IP rights.


When the design application lost its novelty according to article 120 which states: 
Article 120
An industrial design shall lose its novelty:
(1) If it was disclosed to the public by means of a description or by use, prior to the filing of the registration application.
Nonetheless, disclosure or description of an industrial design shall not affect its novelty if it was carried out after the application for registration as a country member in the World Trade Organization, or a country that applies reciprocity to Egypt, or if the disclosure occurred in a national or an international exhibition or a publication about the industrial design in a conference or a scientific periodical provided that all this has occurred within six months prior to the date on which the registration application was filed in Egypt.
(2) If it was not essentially different from a prior industrial design or if it was intended for another kind of product different from those of the previously registered industrial design.


Filing design applications will be acceptable in Egypt, however; the 3D trademark is not applicable in Egypt.


For the rest of the author's life and 50 years after his death.


Not compulsory, but recommendable. No consequences.


Not compulsory, but recommendable. No consequences.


In Egypt, there is no specific database to search whether the work is actually copyrighted or not.


The Egyptian IP law No. 82 of the year 2002 incorporates several legal actions that can be taken against an infringement matter on copyrighted material: 
Criminal Action 
The action can be taken where the plaintiff enjoys registered copyright and the defendant is not registering his.
Article 181:
 
Without prejudice to any more severe sanction under any other law, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a period of not less than one month and by a fine of not less than 5,000 pounds and not more than 10,000 pounds, or any of those sanctions, any person who commits any of the following acts:
(1) Selling, renting, or putting in circulation under any form, a work, a sound recording, or a broadcast program protected under this Law, without prior written authorization from the author or the owner of the related right;
(2) Knowingly imitating, selling, offering for sale, circulation or rental, a work, a sound recording, or a broadcast program;
(3) Knowingly imitating within the country, selling, offering for sale or circulation, renting or exporting to a foreign country a work, a sound recording, or a broadcast program published in a foreign country;
(4) Dissemination through computer networks, Internet, information networks, communication networks, and other means of technology of work, a sound recording, a broadcast program, or a performance protected under this Law, without prior written authorization from the author or the owner of the related right;
(5) Manufacturing, assembling, or importing for the purpose of sale or rent any device, tool, or implement especially designed or made to circumvent a technical protection means, such as encryption or the like, used by the author or the owner of the related right;
(6) Removing, neutralizing, or disabling, in bad faith, any technical protection device used by the author or the owner of the related rights;
(7) Infringing any of the moral or economic copyrights or related rights provided for in this Law.
Civil Action: 
Unfair competition lawsuit can be filed in case the plaintiff is not have registered copyright or the defendant is having a registered one. Article 66 of the Commercial Code governs the unfair competition lawsuits.

Injunction: 
Where a conservatory measure can be taken against the infringement matter. An order is to be taken by the competent judge until a civil lawsuit is filed and a decision is issued in the same. 
Finally, we usually recommend serving a cease and desist letter before initiating any legal action so that the infringer cannot claim bona-fid before the court.


The owner of the copyright shall have the right to take the appropriate legal action to stop such use. These actions can start with a cease and desist letter which does not have a legal effect on the infringer unless legal action is taken against the latter where he cannot claim bona fid before the court in case a lawsuit is filed. Recommending that if it appeared to you that the copyright you are using is a protected one, to stop such use immediately to avoid any negative effect. 


Quotes and pictures are considered intellectual property. The same can be used either by: 
The authorization of the author.
The Copyright is no longer protected under the Egyptian IP law.


It always depends on the type of the copyright which shall be protected.

Head Office

Bldg. No. 46, Abdel Rahim Al-Waked Street, Shmeisani
P.O. Box: 921100, Amman 11192, Jordan
Telephone: (00 962-6) 5100 900
Email : agip@agip.com

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