Lesotho Now Requires Applicants Using the Madrid System to File Applications in Lesotho, to Also Fil
Lesotho has notified the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) that it requires a Declaration of Intention to Use when Lesotho is designated in an International Application or subsequently designated in an International Registration (IR) in terms of the Madrid Protocol Concerning the International Registration of Marks (the Madrid Protocol). This is despite the fact that such declarations are not required when national applications are filed. Lesotho acceded to the Madrid Protocol on 12 November 1998 with it entering into force in Lesotho on 12 February 1999, but Lesotho has not yet domesticated the provisions of the Madrid Protocol. Lesotho is a common law country, which means tha
The [Nigerian] National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently submitted a Bill to Parliament seeking to amend the current Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. Of particular interest in their submission, is the proposal seeking to impose life sentences for counterfeiters of regulated products in Nigeria. To its credit, the Bill also has provisions to protect whistle blowers and compensation or punishment were false information is provided to the Agency. A recent report by ICC-BASCAP indicated that Nigeria is increasingly becoming a target destination and significant transit route for counterfeit and pirat
