Dear Jen,
I have noticed that the amount of work has been declining since 2019, and according
to my belief and analysis of the matter, due to the COVID and the huge increase in
fees that were applied in Sudan by the Office of the Trademarks Registrar, then the
Russian-Ukrainian war was added to it.
We must also bear in mind that Sudan is not classified as one of the countries with
advanced industries, and it is subject to economic sanctions from the United States of
America, and it is also facing a huge political crisis that has been going on for 18
months.
I see that there is a reluctance on the part of customers to continue with protection,
especially renewals, as when I compared the year 2013 with the year 2023, I found
that the reluctance to continue with protection reached a rate of more than 70%.
Yes, I know that Madrid is a very important factor, but the International Registrations
Department in the Office of the Registrar of Trademarks works in a random and
unorganized manner, which caused legal problems and great embarrassment for both
the holders of international registrations and the Department.
When I requested for your advice, my goal is how to continue with these problems,
and is there something I can do in Sudan?
I also assure you that my office is the only office that still maintains a daily presence
in the Office of the Trademarks Registrar to overcome obstacles in front of any file
pertaining to us, and we follow up daily all our files, but, the rest of the offices, their
presence has become one day a week.