Intellectual Property
Trademarks
Filing, prosecution, opposition and portfolio management under the Trademarks Act 2009 — the firm's oldest continuous practice.
- Chambers Asia-Pacific · Ranked 15 years, Intellectual Property
- The Legal 500 · Tier 1, Intellectual Property
Bangladesh is a first-to-file jurisdiction administered by the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks. Applications are examined, published in the Trademarks Journal, and open to opposition for two months from publication, extendable. Registered marks can be challenged by rectification before the Registry, with appeal to the High Court Division.
The firm has handled over three thousand trademark filings since 1965, including defending objections raised against well-known international brands. We manage portfolios for brand owners across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel and services, and coordinate filing strategy with the client's wider regional programme.
How we help
- Availability searching and clearance opinions
- Filing, prosecution and responses to examination reports
- Opposition, rectification and cancellation proceedings
- Well-known mark recognition and protection
- Renewals, assignments, mergers and licence recordals
- Portfolio audits and global filing strategy for Bangladesh
- Customs recordal and watch services
Representative matters
- Over 3,000 trademark filings handled since 1965.
- Established well-known mark protection for NOKIA in Bangladesh.
- Obtained a Supreme Court judgment recognising parallel and unofficial-channel imports as 'usage' in the territory.
Mandates in this practice
Nokia · Counsel
Established the well-known mark doctrine in Bangladesh across all classes
Confidential brand owner · Counsel
Supreme Court judgment establishing that parallel and unofficial-channel imports constitute use of a mark in the territory
Sony · Enforcement counsel
Co-ordinated action against 160 counterfeiters
Casio · Enforcement counsel
Co-ordinated action against 60 counterfeiters
Case studies
Recent changes in the law
LDC graduation deferred to 24 November 2029
The UN General Assembly extended Bangladesh's preparatory period on an exceptional basis, moving graduation from least-developed-country status from 24 November 2026 to 24 November 2029. The TRIPS transition for pharmaceutical product patents continues in the meantime.
Commercial Courts Act 2026
Parliament enacted the Commercial Courts Act 2026, replacing the ordinance of 1 January 2026 and establishing designated commercial courts across the country. Their jurisdiction covers commercial contracts, banking, insurance, company matters and intellectual property disputes, with court-annexed mediation and fixed periods for hearings. Where a claim should now be filed is a question to settle before issuing proceedings.
Our writing on this
- LDC graduation deferred to 2029: what it means for pharmaceutical patents
The United Nations has deferred Bangladesh's graduation from least-developed-country status by three years, to November 2029. The TRIPS transition for medicines continues until then. The deferral buys time; it does not change what originators and manufacturers need to do with it.
- Madrid Protocol accession: what it would mean for rights holders in Bangladesh
An amendment to the Trademarks Act enabling Madrid accession is reported to be in progress. It would change how marks are filed in Bangladesh — and change what the work of protecting them actually consists of.
- The 2023 statutes: Bangladesh's IP law leaves 1911 behind
The Patent Act 2023, the Industrial Design Act 2023 and the Copyright Act 2023 replaced law dating to 1911 and 2000. Anyone still working from the old section numbers is working from repealed provisions.
- IP enforcement in Bangladesh: using treaty rights in a growing consumer market
Bangladesh is a first-to-file jurisdiction with a large and expanding consumer market. Brand owners who treat enforcement as a series of raids rather than a programme consistently under-recover.
IP guide · Trademarks
Trademarks: own your brand
What it is
A trademark is any sign that distinguishes your goods or services from those of others: a word, name, logo, label, letters, numerals, a colour combination, or any combination of these. Service marks, collective marks and certification marks can also be registered.
Cannot be registered: Marks that are deceptive or contrary to law, or identical or confusingly similar to an earlier mark for similar goods or services.
- Law
- Trademarks Act 2009 (amended 2015)
- Office
- DPDT
- Term
- 7 years, then 10-year renewals
- Paris priority
- 6 months
- Classes
- Nice 1–45, one per filing
What we need from you to file
- A clear image of the mark, for logos and labels
- The class and a list of the goods or services
- Date of first use in Bangladesh, if any, with evidence
- Applicant's full name, address, nationality and legal status
- Power of attorney: a scanned copy lets us file; notarisation optional
- Certified priority document, if claiming Paris priority
Time frame
Typically 2–3 years if unopposed
- 1Clearance searchRecommended before filing to spot conflicting marks.
- 2FilingYour filing date secures priority in Bangladesh.
- 3ExaminationAcceptance, or an objection that we answer.
- 4Journal and oppositionPublished in the Trademarks Journal; 2 months to oppose, extendable.
- 5RegistrationCertificate issued once the opposition period ends.
After registration
Renew 7 years after filing, then every 10 years. Record assignments, licences and changes of name or address with the DPDT to keep your rights enforceable.
Our tip
File early in every class you plan to use. Foreign owners do not need local sales to protect a mark: advertising and publicity can establish use.
Questions we are asked
Trademarks in Bangladesh: common questions
- How long does trademark registration take in Bangladesh?
- Typically two to three years if the application is not opposed. Your filing date secures priority from the day the application is lodged, so protection against later filers starts at once.
- How long does a Bangladesh trademark registration last?
- Seven years from the filing date. It is then renewable for periods of ten years, indefinitely.
- Can a foreign company register a trademark in Bangladesh without selling there?
- Yes. A foreign owner can protect a mark without local sales; advertising and publicity can establish use, as the High Court Division confirmed in Amjad Khan Chowdhury v. Parle Agro Products, 17 BLC (2012) 730. A foreign applicant files through a local agent under a power of attorney.
- Can I use the Madrid Protocol to extend my trademark to Bangladesh?
- Not yet. Bangladesh's accession to the Madrid Protocol is in preparation, and until it completes a trademark must be filed nationally at the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks. Paris Convention priority can be claimed within six months of the first filing.
- Can one application cover several classes?
- No. Bangladesh uses Nice classes 1 to 45 and requires a separate application for each class.
- What documents are needed to file a trademark application in Bangladesh?
- A clear image of the mark, the class and list of goods or services, the applicant's full name, address, nationality and legal status, a power of attorney (a scanned copy is enough to file), the date of first use in Bangladesh if any, and a certified priority document if Paris priority is claimed.
How we work with you
Free first consultation
Prompt preliminary advice on any IP action, at no charge.
No advance payment
We invoice only after the filing is lodged.
Transparent fees
Full schedule of official and professional fees on request.
One named lawyer
Clear English updates by email, with deadlines.
Dhaka is GMT+6. The Bangladesh weekend is Friday and Saturday.