Bangladesh Trademark Act
Bangladesh Trademark Act
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geographical name or a surname or a personal name or any common abbreviation thereof or the
name of a sect, caste or tribe in Bangladesh;
(e) any other distinctive mark.
(2) A name, signature or word which does not fall within the description in clauses (a), (b), (c)
and (d) of sub-section (1) except in clause (e) of this sub-section shall not be registered in the
Register except upon the evidence of its distinctiveness.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, the expression, “distinctive mark,” in relation to the goods or
services in respect of which a trademark is proposed to be registered, means a trademark which
distinguishes the goods or services, as the case may be, of the proprietor from the goods or
services, of the same kind in such trade and in the case of which no such connection subsists,
either generally or, where the trademark is proposed to be registered, subject to limitations.
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same goods or description of goods or in respect of same services or description of services, the
Registrar may pending the applications bearing a later date until, the determination of the
proceedings in respect of the earlier application, and dispose of the earlier applications in the
light of the evidence tendered in relation to the application and the oppositions thereto.
(4) No trademark shall be registered in respect of any goods or services if it is identical with, or
confusingly similar to, or constitutes a translation or a mark or trade description which is well-
known in Bangladesh for identical or similar goods or services of another enterprise.
(5) No trademark shall be registered in respect of goods or services if it is well-known and
registered in Bangladesh for goods or services which are not identical or similar to those in
respect of which registration is applied for, if
(a) the trademark is used in such a way that may create a false conception that there is a
connection between those goods or services and the owner of the registered trademark; and
(b) the interests of the registered trademark are likely to be damaged by such use.
(6) In determining whether a mark stating in sub-sections (4) and (5) is well known the
knowledge of the mark in the relevant sector of the public, including knowledge which has been
obtained in Bangladesh as a result of the promotions of the mark, shall be taken into account.
(7) Nothing in this section shall prevent the registration of a trademark where the proprietor of
the earlier trademark or other earlier right consents to the registration.
Explanation: For the purposes of this section, “earlier trademark” means a registered trademark
which has a date of application for registration earlier than that of the trademark in question,
taking account, where appropriate, of the priorities claimed in respect of the trademark, and
references in this section to an earlier trademark include a trademark in respect of which an
application for registration has been made and which, if registered, would be an earlier
trademark.
(8) A trademark whose registration expires shall continue to be taken into account in determining
the capability of the said trademark to be registered for a period of 1(one) year after the expiry
unless the Registrar is satisfied that there was no bona fide use of the mark during the two years
immediately preceding the expiry.
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(2) Separate applications shall be made in respect of every class of goods or services and the
applications shall be considered according to the serial of receipt.
(3) Every application under sub-section (1) may be filed at the Head Office of the Department or
in any branch office of the Trademarks Registry having territorial jurisdiction over the principal
place of business in Bangladesh of the applicant, or, in the case of joint applicants, the principal
place of business in Bangladesh of the applicant, whose name is first mentioned in the
application, as having a place of business in Bangladesh is situated.
(4) Where the applicant or any of the joint applicants does not carry on business in Bangladesh,
the application may be filed in the office of the Trademarks Registry having territorial
jurisdiction over the place mentioned in the address for service in Bangladesh as disclosed in the
first application, is situated.
(5) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Registrar may
(a) accept an application absolutely,
(b) refuse an application recording the grounds for such refusal,
(c) accept an application subject to such amendments, modifications, conditions or limitations, if
any, as he may think fit.
16. Withdrawal of acceptance.⎯(1) Where, after the acceptance of an application for
registration of a trademark the Registrar is satisfied,⎯
(a) that the application has been accepted in error, or
(b) that in the circumstances of the case the trademark should not be registered or should
be registered subject to conditions or limitations or to conditions additional to or different
from the conditions or limitations subject to which the application has been accepted,
the Registrar may, after giving the applicant an opportunity of being heard,
withdraw the acceptance and proceed as if the application had not been accepted.
Provided that the Registrar may cause the application to be advertised before acceptance if it relates to
a trademark to which section 6(2) applies or in any other case where it appears to him that it is
expedient by reason of any exceptional circumstances so to do.
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the Registrar may cause the application to be advertised again or, notify in the prescribed manner the
correction or amendment made in the application.
18. Opposition to registration.⎯(1) Any person may, within 2(two) months from the
date of the advertisement of an application for registration, and on payment of the
prescribed fee, give notice in writing in the prescribed manner to the Registrar, of
opposition to registration.
(2) The Registrar shall, within 1(one) month from the receipt of the notice of opposition by
him, serve a copy of the notice on the applicant for registration in the prescribed manner
and within 2(two) months from the receipt by the applicant of such copy of the notice of
opposition, the applicant shall send to the Registrar in the prescribed manner, a counter-
statement of the grounds on which he relies for his application, and if he does not do so, he
shall be deemed to have abandoned his application.
(3) If the applicant sends such counter-statement, the Registrar shall, within 1(one) month
from the receipt of such counter-statement, serve a copy thereof in the prescribed manner
on the person giving notice of opposition.
(4) Any evidence upon which the opponent and the applicant may rely shall be submitted in
the prescribed manner and within the prescribed time to the Registrar, and the Registrar
shall give an opportunity to them to be heard, if they so desire.
(5) The Registrar shall, after hearing the parties, and considering the evidence, decide
whether registration is to be permitted and whether such permission shall be or not subject
to conditions or limitations.
(6) When the Registrar deems it necessary to permit registration subject to conditions or
limitations under sub-section (5), he shall record his decision on such conditions or
limitations.
(7) If a person giving notice of opposition or an applicant sending a counter-statement after
receipt of a copy of such notice neither
resides nor carries on business in Bangladesh, the Registrar may require him to give
security for costs of the proceedings before it, and in default of such security being duly
given, may treat the opposition or application, as the case may be, as abandoned.
(8) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, all opposition relating activities for
registration shall be concluded within 120 (one hundred and twenty) working days after
giving notice under sub-section (1).
19. Correction.⎯(1) The Registrar may on such terms as he thinks fit, at any time,
whether before or after acceptance of an application for registration under section 15
permit the correction of any error in or in connection with the application or permit
correction of any error in a notice of opposition or a counter-statement under section 18.
20. Registration.⎯(1) Subject to the provisions of section 15 when⎯
(a) an application for registration of a trademark in the Register has been accepted,
(b) the application has not been opposed and the time for notice opposition has expired; and
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(c) the application has been opposed and the opposition has been decided in favour of the
applicant;
the Registrar shall register the said trademark in the Register, giving effect of the trademark from the
date of the making of the application for registration, and that date shall, subject to the provisions of
section 120, be deemed for the purposes of this Act to be the date of registration.
(2) On the registration of a trademark, the Registrar shall issue to the applicant a
certificate in the prescribed from of the registration thereof, impressed with the seal of the
Trademarks Registry.
(3) Subject to the compliance with the conditions by the applicant for registration, the
registration certificate of the concerned application shall be provided under sub-section(2)
within 150 (one hundred and fifty) working days from the date of filing the application, if
there is no defects, or objection or any opposition against the application for trademark.
(4) When the registration of the trademark is not completed within 1 (one) year from the
date of the application by reason of default on the part of the applicant, the Registrar may,
after giving notice of the non-completion to the applicant in the prescribed manner, treat
the application as abandoned unless it is completed within the time specified in that behalf
in the notice.
(5) The Registrar may amend the Register or a certificate of registration for the purpose of
correcting a clerical error or an obvious mistake.
21. Jointly owned trademarks.⎯(1) Nothing in this Act shall Act shall authorize the
registration of two or more persons who use a trademark independently, or propose so to
use it, as joint proprietors thereof.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where there are inter relation between two
or more persons interested in the use of the same trademark relating to an article or service, those
persons may be registered as joint proprietors of the trademark, and the effect in relation to any rights
to the use of the trademark vested in those persons shall be if those rights had been vested in a single
person.
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expiration and the conditions as to payment of fees and otherwise upon which a renewal of
registration may be obtained, and if at the expiration of the time prescribed in that behalf those
conditions have not been duly complied with the Registrar may remove the trademark from the
Register.
(4) Where a trademark has been removed from the Register for non-payment of the prescribed
fee, the Registrar may, within 1(one) year from the expiration of the last registration of the
trademarks, on receipt of an application in the prescribed form, if satisfied that it is just so to do,
restore the trademark to the Register and renew the registration of the trademark either generally
or subject to such conditions or limitations as he thinks fit to impose, for a period of 10(ten)
years from the expiration of the last registration.
33. Power of registered proprietor to assign and give receipts⎯The person for the
time being entered in the Register as proprietor of a trademark shall, subject to the
provisions of this Act and to any rights appearing from the Register to be vested in any
other person, have power to assign the trademark, and to give effectual receipts for any
consideration for such assignment.
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(b) enter any change in the name, address or description of the person who is registered as
proprietor of a trademark;
(c) cancel the entry of a trademark on the Register;
(d) strike out any goods or classes of goods or services or classes or services from those in
respect of which a trademark is Registered;
(e) entry a disclaimer or memorandum relating to a trademark which does not in any way extend
the rights given by the existing registration of the trademark;
(f) make any consequential amendment or alteration in the certificate of registration, and for that
purpose, may require the certificate of registration to be produced to him.
(2) The Registrar may, on application made in the prescribed manner by a registered user of a
trademark, correct any error, or enter any change, in the names, address or description of the
registered user.
Section: 73. Penalty for applying false trademarks and false trade description, etc.
If a person
(a) falsifies any trademark,
(b) falsely applies for any trademark or to goods or services,
(c) makes, disposes of, or has in his possession, any die, block, machine, plate or other
instrument of the purpose of falsifying, or of being used for falsifying a trademark,
(d) applies any false trade description to goods or services,
(e) applies to any goods to which an indication of the country or place in which they were made
or produced or the name and address of the manufacturer or producer or supplier, as the case
may be, or person for whom the goods or services are manufactured, produced or supplied is
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required to be applied under section 108 of this Act, a false indication of such country, place,
name or address,
(f) tampers with, alters or effaces an indication of origin which has been applied to any goods or
services to which it is required to be applied under section 108, or
(g) causes any of the things mentioned from clause (a) to (f) to be done, he shall, subject to the
provisions of this Act be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend 2 (two) years
but not less than 6 (six) months or with fine which may extend to taka 2 (two) lac but not less
than 50 (fifty) thousand or with both and for a second or subsequent conviction, with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to 3 (three) years but not less than 1 (one) year, or
with fine which may extend to taka 3 (three) lac but not less than 1 (one) lac, or with both.
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