Country Overview
Lebanon (population ~6 million) is a commercially diverse market with a long-established private sector and a strong services base, with Beirut at the center of commercial activity. The economy is historically anchored in banking and services, supported by tourism, and a wide spread of consumer and industrial sectors including real estate and construction, food processing and wine, jewellery, cement, textiles, wood and furniture products, oil refining, and metal fabrication.
UTMPS Presence in Lebanon
UTMPS has operated in Lebanon since 2008, supporting clients with IP registrations, legal actions, and strategic consultations. Our Lebanon capability is delivered in Arabic, English, and French, with day-to-day handling led by an experienced local practitioner with 25+ years of Lebanon and regional IP practice.
Key IP Services in Lebanon
- Trademark filings, oppositions, renewals, and enforcement
- Patent protection, including pharmaceuticals and green technologies
- Copyright registrations and advisory for software and digital content
- Industrial design filings and renewals
- Anti-counterfeiting enforcement, including border measures and litigation
- IP due diligence and portfolio management
Lebanon IP System Overview
- Lebanon is a member of several international IP treaties, including the Paris Convention, Berne Convention, Madrid Agreement, Nice Agreement, Patent Law Treaty, Rome Convention and Singapore Treaty, among others (WIPO)
Lebanon’s Office of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Economy and Trade is the national regularity body responsible for IP rights protection.
This section provides a high-level overview of jurisdiction-specific IP protection requirements and is not intended to be comprehensive. For advice on your specific matter, please contact our IP experts.
- Filing: Multi-class available.
- Term: 10 years (renewable).
- Madrid: Not available (national filings only).
- Priority: 6 months (Paris Convention); priority document can be filed late within 3 months from filing (per practice requirements).
- Timeline: trademark registration is often completed in ~2 weeks, with the registration certificate typically issued within ~2 further weeks (under normal circumstances).
- Opposition: No administrative opposition at the IP Office; third parties may seek cancellation through the courts within 5 years of registration.
- Filing Requirements: POA notarized and legalized to the Lebanese Consulate; applicant particulars; goods/services; priority document where applicable.
- Lebanon is party to the Paris Convention but is not a PCT contracting state.
- Term: 20 years.
- Priority: 12 months (Paris Convention); priority document may be filed late within 3 months in the circumstances stated in the service sheet.
- Maintenance fees: Annual annuities apply starting from the patent registration date. Grace period of 6 months
- Filing Requirements: legalized POA; applicant details; electronic specification in a major language (commonly English/French/Arabic) including title, description, claims, abstract, and drawings; priority evidence where applicable.
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Term: 25 years, renewable once for the same period.
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Hague System: No.
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Timeline: Typically ~2 weeks to registration, with the certificate issued within ~2 further weeks under normal circumstances.
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Filing Requirements:
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Legalized Power of Attorney (POA).
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Applicant’s details.
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Detailed description and measurements.
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Drawings/views in metric.
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Priority document if claimed (must be submitted within 3 months).
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Lebanon is party to the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention.
- Registration: available (not mandatory, but often useful evidentially).
- Core Formalities: legalized POA; applicant details; brief description; assignment evidence if applicant is not the author; four copies of the work.
Beirut
6th Floor, Block C, Sodeco Square Building, Sodeco Street,
Beirut, Lebanon
Global Reach
With a presence across 20+ jurisdictions spanning the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, UTMPS delivers comprehensive IP solutions tailored to local requirements.
Outside our footprint, we coordinate matters through a carefully vetted network of trusted IP associates worldwide.
