Manage prosecution of your South African trademark directly from your dashboard. Each case includes a timeline detailing anticipated actions (with associated estimated dates and costs). All instructions are issued via your dashboard, with payments made by credit card.

Search

Either use our free identical South African trademark search facility (available below), or ask us to conduct a comprehensive South African registrability search for US$300 (estimated time: 7 days).

Note: The search only finds exact matches in the South African trademarks register (whether alive or lapsed) and cannot guarantee that a conflicting trademark does not exist. Also, trademarks filed within the previous month or so may not be included in the records searched. It is even possible that an unregistered mark that's been in use for the past 20 years may have acquired sufficient reputation to bar registration of your trademark. If these issues arise, they are generally dealt with after filing the trademark application.

Filing receipt and application number

A registered South African trademark attorney will file your trademark application with the South African Trademarks Office, and we will email you the South African trademark filing receipt and official application number within one South African business day of filing. The application number will not change upon grant. Our US$199 filing fee includes official fees (US$55) and disbursements.

Examination reports

Should the trademark examiner raise objections to the South African trademark application, we should receive an examination report within 9‐12 months of filing. We will email examination reports to you immediately upon receipt. Examination reports must be responded to within 3 months of issuance.

Our charge to provide an opinion regarding responding to a trademark examination report is US$70. Thereafter, should you wish us to reply to the trademark examiner, our additional charge is:

• US$70 for a routine response;
• US$110 for a response that changes the trademark; and
• an amount to be quoted, for a custom response.

During prosecution, feel free to contact our agents Sibanda & Zantwijk Trademark Attorneys directly.

Publication of acceptance

South African trademarks are typically accepted within 15‐20 months of filing. We will email the notice of acceptance to you immediately upon receipt.

Our charge to publish acceptance in the South African Trademarks Journal is US$70. Publication must occur within 6 months of the notice of acceptance, and we require publication instructions at least 5 weeks before this deadline.

Registration certificate

In the absence of opposition, we should receive the trademark registration certificate within 6‐8 months of publication of acceptance. We will email a scanned copy of the certificate to you immediately upon receipt. Should you wish us to courier the trademark registration certificate to you, our charge is US$110.

Note: To ensure that advertisement occurs by the 6 month deadline, advertisement should be arranged no later than 5 weeks before the advertisement deadline.

Third parties may oppose registration of the trademark within 3 months of publication. Should no opposition be filed, your trademark will be registered, and the certificate issued.

Renewal

South African trademark registrations must be renewed every 10 years calculated from the South African filing date (irrespective of any priority claim). To pay a 10‐year South African trademark annuity costs only US$65.

Your trademark registration is automatically uploaded to the PayAnnuity trademark renewal system ‐ an online renewal system that offers the most affordable patent, trademark and design renewals worldwide.