🇱🇰 South Asia

Sri Lanka IP Filing Guide

Sri Lanka's intellectual property rights are administered by the National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO). Sri Lanka is a PCT member, allowing international patent applications to enter national phase. However, Sri Lanka is not a member of the Madrid Protocol — all trademark applications must be filed directly at the NIPO.

Paris Convention PCT Member

Filing Requirements

  • Name, address and nationality of applicant(s) and inventor(s)
  • Statement justifying applicant's right to the patent (if different from inventor)
  • Complete Specification in English (description, claims, abstract and formal drawings)
  • Priority details (application number, date and country of origin) where priority is claimed
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months of filing
  • Verified/notarised English translation of priority document if not in English (within 3 months)
  • Original POA within 3 months — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal/stamp
  • PCT National Phase: entry within 30 months from earliest priority date
  • Conventional filing: within 12 months from priority date

Prosecution Steps

  1. Filing of patent application
  2. Preliminary examination
  3. Publication of application ~18 months from priority date
  4. Formal Examination Request — before 36 months from filing and not earlier than 60 days after publication
  5. Response to Office Action — within 90 days of issuance
  6. Acceptance or rejection
  7. Payment of final fee within 3 months of notice of allowance
  8. Renewal fees to maintain patent in force; late payment within 6-month grace period with surcharge
20
Year patent term
From filing date; first annuity due within 2 years of certificate

Typical timeframe: approximately 3–4 years. Annual fees payable before anniversary of filing date; 6-month grace period for late payment with surcharge.

Filing Requirements

  • Full name, address, status and nationality of applicant(s); names of all partners if a partnership firm
  • Trademark (word/logo/device mark)
  • International class — separate application per class (multi-class filing NOT permitted)
  • Description of goods or services
  • Date of first use of the trademark in Sri Lanka (if any)
  • Translation/transliteration of mark if not in English
  • Priority details (application no., country, date of filing) if convention priority claimed
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months (scanned copy sufficient)
  • Certified English translation of priority document if not in English
  • POA within 3 months (scanned copy sufficient) — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal
  • Not a Madrid Protocol member — local filing before the Trademark Registry is mandatory

Registration Process

  1. Filing of application
  2. Issuance of application number and acknowledgement receipt from Trademark Office (within 1 week)
  3. Examination of application
  4. Issuance of examination report if preliminary objections arise
  5. Reply to examination report within 2 months (extendable to maximum 3 months)
  6. Hearing if Registrar not satisfied with response
  7. Acceptance of application
  8. Publication in monthly Trade Marks Journal
  9. Opposition within 3 months from date of publication
  10. Issuance of Registration Certificate where no opposition is filed or opposition is set aside
10
Year registration
Renewable every 10 years; ~2 years for straightforward registration

Renewal payable 6 months before expiry or up to 6 months after (with surcharge). If certificate is issued after 10 years from filing, renewal due within 1 year of issuance.

Filing Requirements

  • Name, address and nationality of applicant(s); all partners if a partnership firm
  • Name, address and nationality of the author/creator(s) of the design
  • Title of the article
  • Class and sub-class per Locarno classification
  • Statement as to novelty and disclaimer (if any)
  • Various clear views of the article (front, back, top, side, bottom, perspective)
  • Priority details (application no., date, country) — application must be within 6 months of priority filing; restoration of term not possible
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months; certified English translation if not in English
  • Statement of authorship — if applicant is the author; or explanation of how rights were acquired if not
  • Original POA — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal

Prosecution Steps

  1. Filing of application
  2. Formal examination
  3. Objections/examination report (if any)
  4. Publication in journal after payment of publication fee (once objections cleared)
  5. Opposition (if any)
  6. Registration of industrial design
15
Year max design term
5 years + two renewals of 5 years each

Late renewal permissible within a 6-month grace period with surcharge. Priority must be claimed within 6 months of first filing — restoration of term is not available.

Filing Requirements

  • Full name, address, status and nationality of applicant(s); names of all partners if a partnership firm
  • Trademark (word/logo/device mark)
  • International class — separate application per class (multi-class filing NOT permitted)
  • Description of goods or services
  • Date of first use of the trademark in Sri Lanka (if any)
  • Translation/transliteration of mark if not in English
  • Priority details (application no., country, date of filing) if convention priority claimed
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months (scanned copy sufficient)
  • Certified English translation of priority document if not in English
  • POA within 3 months (scanned copy sufficient) — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal
  • Not a Madrid Protocol member — local filing before the Trademark Registry is mandatory

Registration Process

  1. Filing of application
  2. Issuance of application number and acknowledgement receipt from Trademark Office (within 1 week)
  3. Examination of application
  4. Issuance of examination report if preliminary objections arise
  5. Reply to examination report within 2 months (extendable to maximum 3 months)
  6. Hearing if Registrar not satisfied with response
  7. Acceptance of application
  8. Publication in monthly Trade Marks Journal
  9. Opposition within 3 months from date of publication
  10. Issuance of Registration Certificate where no opposition is filed or opposition is set aside
10
Year registration
Renewable every 10 years; ~2 years for straightforward registration

Renewal payable 6 months before expiry or up to 6 months after (with surcharge). If certificate is issued after 10 years from filing, renewal due within 1 year of issuance.

Filing Requirements

  • Name, address and nationality of applicant(s); all partners if a partnership firm
  • Name, address and nationality of the author/creator(s) of the design
  • Title of the article
  • Class and sub-class per Locarno classification
  • Statement as to novelty and disclaimer (if any)
  • Various clear views of the article (front, back, top, side, bottom, perspective)
  • Priority details (application no., date, country) — application must be within 6 months of priority filing; restoration of term not possible
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months; certified English translation if not in English
  • Statement of authorship — if applicant is the author; or explanation of how rights were acquired if not
  • Original POA — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal

Prosecution Steps

  1. Filing of application
  2. Formal examination
  3. Objections/examination report (if any)
  4. Publication in journal after payment of publication fee (once objections cleared)
  5. Opposition (if any)
  6. Registration of industrial design
15
Year max design term
5 years + two renewals of 5 years each

Late renewal permissible within a 6-month grace period with surcharge. Priority must be claimed within 6 months of first filing — restoration of term is not available.

Filing Requirements

  • Name, address and nationality of applicant(s); all partners if a partnership firm
  • Name, address and nationality of the author/creator(s) of the design
  • Title of the article
  • Class and sub-class per Locarno classification
  • Statement as to novelty and disclaimer (if any)
  • Various clear views of the article (front, back, top, side, bottom, perspective)
  • Priority details (application no., date, country) — application must be within 6 months of priority filing; restoration of term not possible
  • Certified copy of priority document within 3 months; certified English translation if not in English
  • Statement of authorship — if applicant is the author; or explanation of how rights were acquired if not
  • Original POA — executed before two witnesses; notarised if no witness or no company seal

Prosecution Steps

  1. Filing of application
  2. Formal examination
  3. Objections/examination report (if any)
  4. Publication in journal after payment of publication fee (once objections cleared)
  5. Opposition (if any)
  6. Registration of industrial design
15
Year max design term
5 years + two renewals of 5 years each

Late renewal permissible within a 6-month grace period with surcharge. Priority must be claimed within 6 months of first filing — restoration of term is not available.

Key Facts

IP Authority NIPO — National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka
PCT Member Yes — national phase within 30 months
Madrid Protocol No — direct national filing mandatory
Patent Term 20 years from filing date
TM Term 10 years (renewable every 10 years)
Design Term 15 years (5+5+5 years renewable)
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