Tunisia - Protecting Intellectual PropertyTunisia-Protecting IP
Tunisia is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), signatory to the United Nations Agreement on the Protection of Patents and Trademarks (UNCTAD), and party to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks. The National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property is the agency responsible for patents and trademarks; the Tunisian Copyright Protection Organization is the agency responsible for copyrights; and the Tunisian Internet Authority is the agency responsible for administering the .TN country-specific top level domain name.
Tunisia’s various intellectual property laws enshrine the equal treatment of foreign registrants and Tunisian nationals. Registration and maintenance requirements for Tunisian patents, trademarks, and copyrights are straightforward and relatively inexpensive when compared to similar requirements in the United States. The creation of a specialized intellectual property court in 2014 employing judges and court clerks with specific training and expertise in handling intellectual property cases has also significantly increased the speed and quality of legal enforcement decisions for U.S. clients, with numerous high-profile wins for companies claiming trademark infringement in connection with counterfeit goods.
In 2016, Tunisia signed an agreement with the EU that allows automatic patent protection in Tunisia for European patent applications through the European Patent Organization. The agreement went into effect in December 2017.
In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. Please see Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.
IP Attaché Contact for the Middle East & North Africa:
Name: Peter Mehravari
Address: U.S. Embassy, P. O. Box 77, Safat 13001, Kuwait
Telephone: +965 2259-1455
E-mail: peter.mehravari@trade.gov
Prepared by the International Trade Administration. With its network of more than 100 offices across the United States and in more than 75 markets, the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.
Tunisia’s various intellectual property laws enshrine the equal treatment of foreign registrants and Tunisian nationals. Registration and maintenance requirements for Tunisian patents, trademarks, and copyrights are straightforward and relatively inexpensive when compared to similar requirements in the United States. The creation of a specialized intellectual property court in 2014 employing judges and court clerks with specific training and expertise in handling intellectual property cases has also significantly increased the speed and quality of legal enforcement decisions for U.S. clients, with numerous high-profile wins for companies claiming trademark infringement in connection with counterfeit goods.
In 2016, Tunisia signed an agreement with the EU that allows automatic patent protection in Tunisia for European patent applications through the European Patent Organization. The agreement went into effect in December 2017.
In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. Please see Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.
IP Attaché Contact for the Middle East & North Africa:
Name: Peter Mehravari
Address: U.S. Embassy, P. O. Box 77, Safat 13001, Kuwait
Telephone: +965 2259-1455
E-mail: peter.mehravari@trade.gov
Prepared by the International Trade Administration. With its network of more than 100 offices across the United States and in more than 75 markets, the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.