We have previously written about Ethiopia's accession to the Paris Convention. Now the next step, deposit by the government of Ethiopia of its instrument of accession to the Paris Convention, has been announced. Ethiopia will now formally become a member of the Paris Union on August 15, 2025. While we previously discussed the benefits to trade mark applicants, there are benefits for patent applicants as well, the most pertinent of which is that they will be able to file a complete patent application in Ethiopia for up to a year after filing their provisional application in another Paris Convention country, with the priority date of the application being retained from the provisional. This will make it more attractive to file patent applications in Ethiopia.
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