The Trademarks Act (Chapter 217).

The Act establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the registration, protection, and use of trademarks in Uganda. It defines key terms, establishes the Registrar of Trademarks, and creates a public register with two parts (A and B). The law sets conditions for trademark registration—requiring distinctiveness or the ability to distinguish goods—and prohibits deceptive, scandalous, or confusingly similar marks. It outlines procedures for application, examination, opposition, registration, renewal, and duration of trademarks, while granting registered owners exclusive rights and regulating infringement, assignments, registered users, and permitted use. The Act also addresses non-use removal, rectification of the register, and evidentiary and procedural rules for legal proceedings. Additionally, it provides offences for false registration claims, regulates jointly owned and certification trademarks, and includes mechanisms for maintaining accuracy and preventing confusion in the trademark system.
Part A of the register contains trademarks that are distinctive, meaning they clearly identify the goods of a particular proprietor and distinguish them from those of others. Registration in Part A provides stronger legal protection, including clearer rights to exclusive use and enforcement against infringement. Part B of the register contains trademarks that are capable of distinguishing the proprietor’s goods but may not yet be fully distinctive. These marks receive more limited protection, often allowing registration of marks that may acquire distinctiveness through use over time.