On 6 March 2025, the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade issued an official decision to temporarily suspend the processing of new trade mark applications, with effect from 5 March 2025 to 10 April 2025. The decision is noted to exclude oppositions, appeals and renewals.

The Ministry has also asked agents and applicants to respect the suspension period.

Naturally, the question arises as to how filing priority would be determined once trade mark applications become possible. We have no guidance on this at the time of writing. However, where possible, applicants who had planned filing during the suspension period could consider reliance on Paris Convention, perhaps filing in another Convention country first, and then claiming priority from the foreign filing once the filing window re-opens. Otherwise, since the Trade Mark Office is expected to receive a high volume of applications once filings become possible, applicants could work towards having filings ready to proceed at the relevant time, noting that late filing of supporting documents is generally not possible in Libya.

This development underscores a drive to address the administrative challenges faced by the Libyan Trade Mark Office. Businesses seeking trade mark protection in Libya should monitor further updates. Our renewals department is available to assist through our contact e-mail address renewals.mena.tm@cwbip.com.