§10.9. Term of Registration; Renewal
a) The term of registration of a mark shall be of ten years computed from the date of the registration.
b) The registration of a mark may be renewed for further consecutive periods of ten years each, upon
compliance with the prescribed requirements and payment of the prescribed renewal fee.
c) A grace period of six months shall be allowed for renewal of the registration, on payment of the
prescribed surcharge.
d) If renewal does not take place as prescribed, the registration of the mark shall lapse.
§10.10. Invalidation; Revocation
a) Any interested person may request the Director General to invalidate the registration of a mark in
respect of one, some or all the goods or services covered by the registration.
b) A request for invalidation on grounds of prior third-party rights may not be filed after the
expiration of a period of five years counted from the date of the registration, unless the registration
was obtained in bad faith. A request for invalidation on other grounds may be filed at any time.
c) The Director General shall invalidate the registration if it is proven that the registered sign does not
comply with the definition of „mark‟ provided in Section 10.1 or that the mark was registered in
contravention of any of the grounds specified in Section 10.1(c).
d) Any invalidation of the registration of a mark shall be deemed to have been effective as of the date
of registration, and it shall be recorded and a reference thereto published as soon as possible.
e) The Director General may revoke the registration of a mark in respect of one, some or all the
goods or services covered by the registration, on any of the following grounds:
i.
within the period of three years following the date of completion of the registration
procedure the mark has not been put to genuine use in Liberia in relation to the goods or
services for which it is registered, and there are no justified reasons for such failure to use;
ii.
substantive use of the mark has been suspended for an uninterrupted period of three years,
and there are no justified reasons for such failure to use;
iii.
in consequence of acts or inaction of the registered holder, the mark has become the
common name or the only effective designation available for use in the ordinary course of
trade in respect of a product or service for which the mark is registered;
iv.
in consequence of the manner in which the registered holder used the mark or allows it to
be used the mark is liable to mislead the public, particularly as to the nature, quality or
geographical origin of the goods or services for which the mark is registered.
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