- within Consumer Protection topic(s)
Following prolonged disruption caused by civil unrest in Sudan, the operations of the Sudanese Trade Marks Office ("TMO") have been significantly affected over the past two years, resulting in a near-complete standstill in trade mark administration for an extended period.
After almost ten months of inactivity, the Registry announced in early February 2024 that it would resume certain limited trade mark-related activities with effect from 11 February 2024. At that time, the TMO was temporarily relocated from Khartoum to Port Sudan, from where it began accepting a restricted category of filings, including new trade mark applications, renewals, and recordals of assignments, mergers, and changes of name and/or address. These services were offered on a limited basis while efforts were underway to restore the Registry's physical files and electronic systems, which had been adversely impacted by the unrest in Khartoum. Substantive services such as examination, publication, trade mark searches, oppositions, cancellations, and responses to official actions remained suspended.
In December 2025, the Registry announced a temporary suspension of administrative activities at the Port Sudan office to facilitate the relocation of the TMO back to Khartoum.
Recent reports indicate that the TMO has resumed operations from the Ministry of Minerals premises in Khartoum. The main Intellectual Property Office remains closed while repairs are ongoing, and normal operations have therefore not yet recommenced. The continued inaccessibility of the Registry's physical trade mark files and electronic database has meant that administrative capacity remains constrained, with consolidation and transfer of records still in progress.
In relation to WIPO-related deadlines, the opposition period is, in principle, calculated from the publication date in the International Gazette. However, the TMO has not issued any official circular or directive clarifying how deadlines that may have lapsed during the period of closure will be treated. As a result, the legal effect of any missed deadlines cannot be conclusively determined at this stage and is expected to become clearer only once the Office formally resumes normal operations and issues the relevant guidance.
Although it remains difficult to predict when the TMO will become fully operational, the resumption of limited services from Khartoum is a positive development. Brand owners are encouraged to review their portfolios and consider securing and maintaining appropriate trade mark protection in Sudan where appropriate.
Sources:
- https://www.jahcoip.com/news/regional-ip-updates-uae-sudan-zambia-and-nepal/
- https://cwbip.com/insights/news/2026/north-sudans-ip-department-moves-back-khartoum-services-set-resume-soon
- https://www.sabaip.com/sudan-tmo-reopens-in-khartoum-following-relocation
- https://atb-ip.com/sudan-temporary-suspension-and-relocation-of-trademark-office-operations/
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