Overseas Registration of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs

UK and European (UK) Patents

Automatic Protection

UK national patents and European (UK) patents automatically extend protection to:

• British Indian Ocean Territory
• Isle of Man
• Swaziland

Protection Requiring Registration

Registration of UK national patents is available in the territories listed below. In the territories marked with an asterisk (*), European patents designating the UK can also be registered. Unless otherwise stated, registration must be applied for within three years of the date of grant of the UK national patent or European (UK) patent.

The maximum period of protection is 20 years, and the overseas registration will remain in force only as long as the UK or European (UK) patent on which it is based is in force. If the basic UK or European (UK) patent expires or lapses for any reason, the overseas registration will automatically cease.

• Anguilla*
• Bermuda*
• Cayman Islands*¹
• Falkland Islands*
• Fiji*
• Gambia*
• Gibraltar*
• Grenada*
• Guernsey*¹
• Guyana
• Jersey*
• Kiribati*
• Montserrat
• Nauru
• Saint Helena
• Saint Lucia
• Samoa*²
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands*
• Tanzania – Zanzibar
• Turks & Caicos Islands*³
• Tuvalu*
• Virgin Islands*

¹ Registration may be applied for any time after the date of grant, and during the life of, the UK/European (UK) patent.
² Registration must be applied for within two years of the date of grant of the UK/European (UK) patent.
³ Registration must be applied for within five years of the date of grant of the UK/European (UK) patent.

UK Registered Designs

Registration of UK registered designs is available in the territories listed below. Unless otherwise stated, UK registered design rights automatically extend to these territories. In other territories, action must be taken to register the UK design registration there.

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• Brit. Indian Ocean Terr.
• Cayman Islands⁴
• Falkland Islands
• Fiji
• Gambia
• Gibraltar*
• Grenada
• Guernsey⁴
• Guyana
• Isle of Man
• Jersey⁵
• Kiribati
• Malta⁶
• Montserrat
• Saint Helena
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• Swaziland
• Tanzania – Tanganyika
• Tanzania – Zanzibar
• Tuvalu⁷
• Virgin Islands

⁴ Registration may be applied for any time after the date of registration, and during the life of, the UK registered design.
⁵ Registration must be applied for within three years of the date of registration, and during the life of, the UK registered design.
⁶ Registration must be applied for within four months of filing the registered design.
⁷Registration may be applied for.

UK Registered Trade Marks

UK registered trade marks can be registered in the territories listed below. Unless otherwise stated, registration may be applied for any time after the date of registration of, and during the life of, the UK registered trade mark. There is a lack of clarity regarding which territories allow the registration of International Trade Marks.

• Anguilla
• Bahamas Jersey
• Bermuda
• Brit. Indian Ocean Terr.⁸
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands⁸
• Fiji
• Gambia
• Gibraltar
• Grenada¹⁰
• Guernsey
• Guyana
• Isle of Man⁸
• Kiribati
• Montserrat
• Saint Helena
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Samoa¹¹
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• Tuvalu⁷

⁸ UK registered trade marks automatically extend to this territory.
⁹ Registration must be applied for within four months of filing the registered trade mark.
¹⁰International registrations covering the UK cannot be registered.
¹¹ Registration must be applied for within 12 months of filing the registered trade mark.

If you would like to download a copy of our Guide to the Overseas Registration of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs, please click here.

This information is provided as a guide only and should not be taken as a definitive statement of law. Overseas laws can change without notice. Before relying on any information provided above, specific confirmation should be sought from an attorney at Withers & Rogers LLP.