Dominica Trademark Information

Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is located in the Caribbean Sea, north of South America between Guadeloupe and Martinique. The population is estimated at 72,600 with a GDP of $745 million.

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Trademarks are assigned through the Intellectual Property Office under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs. Dominica is not a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years and renewable in 10 year periods.

Dominica’s newly independent trademark system protects its existing UK-based and local registrations for the full remainder of their terms (14 years for local registrations) and, during the one year period of transition which ends February 1, 2010, any applicant or owner of a UK registration may file an application to register the same mark in Dominica and thereby obtain the same filing/registration date in Dominica as for the UK mark.