Legal basis is the Decree of October 9th, 1946 last amended October 7th, 1996. A new law, under No. 8 of 2007, was enacted in Syria for distinctive marks, geographical indications and industrial drawings and designs. The law entered into force on April 12 and its Implementing Regulations were issued on April 15th, 2007.
The Syrian Arab Republic is a member of the Madrid Protocol.
Trademark protection is obtained by registration. It can also be acquired by sufficient public recognition.

Nice classification, 10th edtion
A certificate of origin has to be submitted in case of trademark applications for many items in class 3 and for pharmaceutical products (class 5).

Registrable as a trademark are all distinctive and graphically representable signs, such as words, names, acronyms, letters, numbers, devices, combinations or shades of colours, and any combination of the mentioned signs.
The following trademark types are registrable: trade marks, service marks, collective marks, certification marks, trade names and titles of establishment.

The application is filed at the Trademark Office (Ministry of Interior Trade and Consumer Protection).
Single-class system for trademark applications is adopted in Syria, i.e. each class relating to the same trademark should be covered by a separate application.
Foreign applicants need a local agent.
A legalized power of attorney is necessary up to the Syrian consulates abroad for each application effective from January 1st, 2010. One legalized PoA can be used for continuous applications by obtaining and filing certified copies thereof.
Foreign applicants do not necessarily need a domestic registration. A copy of the domestic trademark registration or any other foreign corresponding registration certificate reflecting the same class of goods and services to be specified in the Syrian application is sufficient. (The Registrar could request a certified copy thereof at a later stage).
The certificate of origin for items in class 3 and for pharmaceutical products in class 5 (see above) can be made out on the letterhead of the applicant company or issued by the ministry of health or a chamber of commerce of the applicantʼs home country, and needs to be authenticated by a consulate of the Syrian Arab Republic. Furthermore, a list of main ingredients has to be presented for pharmaceutical products, written by the manufacturer on his letter paper, stamped and signed and legalised thereafter. To avoid two legalizations, the chemical composition (formula) of the product should be included in the certificate of origin.
The application process includes a formal examination, an examination of distinctiveness and a search for prior trademarks.
The Syrian Trademark Office has started as of September 2009 to waive boycott declaration request including applications filed under the new Intellectual Property Law No.8/2007 effective on April 12, 2007.
Accordingly, all foreign first-time applicants, who are not listed on the Boycott List, can file their applications in Syria without the need to provide the Boycott Declaration.
Prior to this decision, applications accepted by the Registrar were referred to the Boycott Office to clear the applicant’s company name. First-time applicants with no prior IP registrations or clearance were required to submit the Israel Boycott Declaration. Once such clearance was obtained, the application processed to registration.
The processing time from first filing to registration or first office action is approx. 8 to 12 months.
After registration, the trademark is published in the Patent Office Gazette.

National:
Any interested party may object in writing to the application of a mark at the Property Protection Office within 90 days of the date of publication.

Opposition against designation of IR Mark
(The period starts from the national publication date, if not stated differently):
30 days as from the publication date in the WIPO Gazette

A trademark registration is valid for 10 years from date of filing, renewable for periods of 10 years.

The grace period for renewals is 6 months after the expiration date of the trademark.

Article 8 of new law states that the court depending on a third party claim can cancel a trademark registration if it appears to the court that a trademark has not been seriously used for 3 years, unless the owner presents his excuses for non-use.

The official fee for filing in one class is approx. EUR 100.00 and registration approx. EUR 220.00. The official fee for publication (covering up to 10 items of the list of goods) is approx. EUR 64.00.

Trademark Licence Agreement
In Syria a licence agreement has to be in writing. Licensing of unregistered marks is not permitted. A trademark may be licensed for some or all of the goods or services in respect of which the trademark is registered. The sale of a registered trademark does not automatically terminate the licence.

There are statutory provisions prescribing the terms of a licence agreement:
1. The licence shall not preclude the trademark owner from using the mark unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.
2. The validity of the licence shall not exceed the validity of the mark (ten years).
3. A licence may not be concluded in respect of pending applications

Recordal
There are provisions in law for the recordal of a licensee. Recordal is mandatory. The licence recordal should be filed at the Syrian Registry within three months from the effective date of the agreement. Thereafter a fine is payable for every two-month delay in recording the licence. There is no prescribed form or content for the validity of a licence agreement.

The following documents are required for a recordal:
1. The licence agreement or contract covering the licensed trademarks (an abbreviated version is acceptable), legalised up to a Syrian Consulate
2. A legalised power of attorney from the licensee
3. A list of the licensed trademarks
4. A simple copy of the trademark certificate

Effectiveness
The licence agreement becomes effective and enforceable against third parties upon its recordal date and is published In the Official Trademark Gazette in the month of recordal.

Infringement Proceedings
There is an evidentiary presumption that use of a recorded licensee is permitted use. The licensee may join the trademark owner in infringement proceedings and may also call upon the owner to institute infringement proceedings. He may institute proceedings in his own name if the proprietor refuses or neglects to do so in the event that the licensee is authorised by the licence contract to institute proceedings. The licensee does not need to cite the trademark owner as co-defendant in any such proceedings.

Search type	First class	Add. class
Word Mark Search (availability)	190,00 €	130,00 €
Word Mark Search (identical)	140,00 €	90,00 €
Extended Search (word mark, company name, domain)
Device Mark Search (availability)	240,00 €	190,00 €
Trademark Owner Search
Company Name Search
Domain Name Search (extended)
i-Search (word mark availability + legal opinion)	240,00 €	220,00 €

The Prices above are S.M.D. Markeur Search Fees