To maintain your Cayman Islands trademark without penalty, annual maintenance fees must be filed by 31 March 2026.
Bermuda - Responses to Examination Reports: Amendments to Applications
Any application for registration made under the Trade Marks Act 2023 to which an examination report is/has been issued that contains the following queries must be amended by way of a TM2 together with the prescribed official fee.
Suggested or required specificaon edits
The name of the applicant requires amendment
The address of the applicant requires amendment
The applicant needs to add a class/es
The applicant needs to delete a class/es
Bermuda - New Trade Mark Act 2023 Commencement
The Trade Marks Act 2023 took effect on August 1, 2025 in Bermuda.
Trademark registration applications filed on or after this date will now be valid for 10 years, an increase from the previous 7-year term.
Renewal applications submitted on or after this date will also be granted for 10 years, replacing the prior 14-year renewal period.
Bermuda IPO Open
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.
Read moreBermuda - Taskforce on IP Change
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.
Read moreBermuda - Colour Marks
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.
Read moreCayman - Commencement Trade Mark Law
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.
Read moreBermuda - .bm Domain Name Fees
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.
Read moreBahamas - VAT Commencement
Value Added Tax (VAT) will now commence in the Bahamas on 1st January 2015. The VAT rate is set at 7.5% to include IP services. CAUTION: Government requires any outstanding invoices at the start date to be re-invoiced to include VAT.
Read moreBahamas / Bermuda - New law?
The governments of the Bahamas and Bermuda are both considering new trade marks law.
Read moreBermuda - Patent Changes
On July 17th, 2014, the Acting Registrar-General announced changes for national patent applications in Bermuda. We have prepared an information sheet on the effect of the changes which is available on request.
Read moreIP Law - 2013 Firm of the Year
Firstmark was named 2013 intellectual property firm of the year in Bermuda for the second year running. Everything Matters - We work hard to provide a quality service in the Caribbean by Caribbean attorneys.
Read moreBVI Trade Marks Act 2013
Enacted on 30 April 2013 it provides for ten year registration and renewal terms. No operative date has yet been set.
Read moreIP Law - 2012 Firm of the Year
Firstmark was named 2012 intellectual property firm of the year in Bermuda. Everything Matters - We work hard to provide a quality service in the Caribbean by Caribbean attorneys.
Read moreGrenada Trade Marks Act 2012
Enacted the beginning of July 2012 it removes reliance on certified copies of UK registrations as supporting evidence for applications.
Read moreMontserrat Validity Issue
Between 2005 and 2012, certificates were issued under the old legislation bringing their validity into question. We understand that validation legislation is being prepared to remedy the situation.
Read moreMontserrat Law Changes
The Montserrat Trade Mark Rules and Forms came into effect on 15 Oct 2012. These rules and forms follow the implementation of a new Trade marks Act in 2005.
Read moreBermuda to Adopt Nice 10th Ed.
Bermuda is scheduled to adopt the 10th Edition of the Nice Classification in December 2012.
Read moreBermuda New Assistant Registrar
Government recently appointed Mr Aubrey Pennyman as the new Assistant Registrar - Intellectual Property. He notes that the Bermuda Government is considering changes to the trade marks law.
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