CAYMAN ISLANDS
As of August 1, 2017 the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office (CIIPO) provides for registration of trade and service marks by use of national trade mark applications in accordance with The Trade Marks Law of 2016. Before August 1, 2017 registration of marks could only be obtained if the marks were previously registered in the UK, as a CTM, or as an International Registration. Previous registrations based on a UK, a CTM, or an International Registration with be treated in the same manner as the national registration; however, applications for registration can no longer be based on the UK, CTM or an International Registration.
Registration is protected for ten years from the date the application was filed with the CIIPO if annual fees are paid. Cayman Islands are unique in that the government requires payment of an annual fee to maintain each trademark registration. The annual maintenance fee must be paid by January 1st of each year, failing which the Cayman registration is not deemed to be valid. The official annual fee for a single class registration is $244, and the official annual fee for a multi-class registration is $244 for the first class and $122 for each additional class. In addition, there is a new penalty of $122 per year for late payment of the annual fee, but there is also a grace period which allows payment, without penalty, up to March 31st of each year.
HISTORYLocated in the western Caribbean Sea, the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, consist of three islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. First spotted by Christopher Columbus on his last voyage to the West Indies on May 10, 1503, the islands were named Las Tortugas by the Spaniards for the turtles surrounding the island. By 1530 sightings of native alligators spread, causing the name of the islands to be called Caymanes. After the Cayman Islands were surrendered to Great Britain for the Treaty of Madrid in 1670, the first settlement was established on the Grand Cayman Island. The official language is English, and the designated capital is George Town.
The Cayman Islands are said to have the highest standard of living in the Caribbean with the territory printing its own currency. The recent initiatives in both the private and public sectors have strengthened the economy of the islands; the implemented legal and regulatory frameworks are designed to promote growth and enterprise. Tourism is central to the economy of the Cayman Islands as thousands of people travel there each year. Grand Cayman is famous for its Seven Mile Beach, a long stretch of beautiful coastline that extends down the west end of the island. Little Cayman is the smallest of the islands and contains the Bloody Bay Wall known to create some of the most exhilarating dives in the Caribbean. Cayman Brac holds the Brac Parrot Reserve which houses many endangered parrots.
