Uganda Trademark Information

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Kenya to the east, Sudan to the north, Democratic Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest, and Tanzania to the south. The population is estimated at 32,369,000 with a GDP of $39.69 billion.

The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. In January 2009, Uganda assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.

Trademarks are assigned through the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Uganda is not a member of the Madrid Protocol and is a member of ARIPO. A trademark is valid for 10 years and may be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.