Current Delays:
TM Applications - February 2022 completed
TM Examinations - January 2022 in Process
TM Responses - December 2021 in Process
TM Post-Registration - November 2021 in Process

The BM IPO has enabled electronic filing during the course of the lockdown mandated by governments in BM and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Currently the lockdown extends through the beginning of May and it could be extended. IPO staff are receiving applications and receipting same but these applications will not be formally processed until normalcy returns to the IPO. Application dates will be preserved but please have patience until we can get an application number. We will continue to provide filing acknowledgements as received. Other Caribbean jurisdictions with limited filing processes are Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Barbados and The Bahamas. Cayman Islands remains closed at the time of writing.

Bermuda has setup a taskforce to create and update IP law in Bermuda. Listening carefully to the international business and local communities, the government is set to embody state of the art IP legislation with especial emphasis on trade mark law and patent protection.

Certificates issued by the BM IPO may not properly depict the colours used in the original application as a result of the manner of reproduction. This depiction of the colours or lack thereof can be misleading. For marks including a colour claim, applicants should consider including Pantone colour codes.

The Registrar has advised, in respect of the IP legislation passed in 2016,  that the Commencement Orders for the new legislation and regulations were recently approved by Cabinet. Local registrations of trade marks, as well as extensions of designs registered in the U.K. will commence on August 1st 2017.

The Bermuda Government has increased domain name fees with effect from the 1st April 2016. The new fee for a .bm domain name is US$100 per domain name for a first time registration. Renewals increase to US$65 per domain name per annum.