DEADLINE FOR MANDATORY RECORDATION OF IP RIGHTS IN KENYA HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 1st JANUARY 2023
On the 26th of April 2022, the Kenyan Anti-Counterfeit Authority (“ACA”) published Public Notice, No. 1/2022, in which it announced a deadline for the recordal on the Anti-Counterfeit Authority Integrated Management System (“AIMS”) of all goods bearing Intellectual Property Rights being imported into Kenya.
That Notice required that all Intellectual Property Rights Holders to record their Intellectual Property Rights through the AIMS system by no later than 1st July 2022.
On the 23rd May 2022 after extensive stakeholders engagement, the ACA issued Public Notice no.2/2022, extending the deadline to submit a mandatory recordal until 1st January 2023 to afford Intellectual Property Rights Holders more time for compliance.
The ACA further advised that it is considering the validity of recordal application approved anytime this year to also run from 1st January 2023. This means that any recordal applications received and processed between now and December 2022 will only begin the 1-year validity countdown from 1st January 2023. Therefore, Intellectual Property Rights Holders are encouraged to submit their recordal applications timely.