TRADEMARK APPLICATION FILING IN
Iran

The Industrial Property Office of Iran is responsible for administering and managing trademark registrations in Iran. In Iran, a trademark must be registered in order to obtain legal protection, as unregistered trademarks generally do not enjoy protection under Iranian law. The country follows a first-to-file system, meaning that trademark rights are typically granted to the party that first files the application. Trademarks in Iran are governed by the Law on Registration of Patents, Industrial Designs and Trademarks (2008), which provides legal protection to distinctive marks, symbols, names, and other identifiers used to distinguish the goods or services of one entity from those of another. Iran is also a member of the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol, having joined both in 2003, enabling applicants to seek international trademark protection through the Madrid System.

The trademark registration before the Iranian Intellectual Property Office can be filed either through the online portal or via offline mode.

Multi-class applications are allowed by the Iranian Intellectual Property Office.

The requirements for filing a trademark application are as follows:

• Name, nationality, and address of the applicant;
• Mark representation (logo/device/word, etc.);
• Descriptions of goods and/or services;
• Certified priority document*;

*If priority is being claimed, a Certified Priority Document in Persian (Farsi) must be submitted within three months of filing; The documents should not be legalized and notarized.    

• Power of Attorney*;

* The Power of Attorney must be submitted within two months from the filing date and must be legalized by the Iranian Consulate in Iran.

In Iran, the trademark registration proceeds with the submission of application before the Iranian Intellectual Property Office. Once the TM application is filed, it undergoes an examination of the TM application to verifies that all the requirements are met including distinctiveness and compliance with public order. If any discrepancies arise, the applicant will receive a notice issued by the Iranian Intellectual Property Office and the applicant have to reply within twenty days from the date of notification. However, if no objection issued or the examiner is satisfied with the response of the objection. Therefore, the application will be published for 30 days in the official gazette, any third may file opposition against the trademark within the opposition period. If no opposition is filed, the Iranian Intellectual Property Office will issue a registration certificate.

The opposition proceedings commence when an opponent files a notice of opposition within the stipulated period of thirty days from the date of publication. The IIPO will notifies the applicant and the applicant has to submit a response and observations to oppositions within twenty from the date of notification. Thereafter, IIPO will review submissions of both parties and makes a decision either to allow or reject the application

A trademark registration in Iran is valid for a period of ten years. The trademark must be renewed within six months before the expiry of trademark registration.

A registered trademark must be actively used within the period of three years from its registration. If the trademark is not used during this period, it may be subject to cancellation if applied by any third party.

The trademark registration in Armenia normally takes between six to ten months in straightforward applications.

The government of Iran has continued to develop its intellectual property framework and expand its engagement with the international IP system. According to 2024 statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization, Iran’s international trademark applications filed through the Madrid System increased by 8.6%. In addition, trademark filings abroad by Iranian applicants grew significantly by 27.9%. These developments reflect Iran’s ongoing efforts to modernize and improve the enforcement of its intellectual property laws. As a result of this growing filing activity, Iran now ranks 6th in Asia in terms of the number of trademark applications filed.