For decades the Maldives had no trademark statute. You protected a brand by publishing a cautionary notice in the newspapers and hoping it deterred someone. That ends on 11 November 2026, when the Trademarks Act (Law No. 19/2025) comes into force.
What replaces it is a conventional registration system — a state register, examination, opposition, ten-year terms — administered by the Maldives Intellectual Property Office (MIPO), which was itself established on 1 January 2026.
The change that matters commercially is the one that is easiest to miss: the Act is first to file. Years of trading in the Maldives will not, on their own, secure the mark.
Quick reference
| Governing law | Trademarks Act, Law No. 19/2025 |
| Ratified | 11 November 2025 |
| In force | 11 November 2026 |
| Office | Maldives Intellectual Property Office (MIPO) |
| Basis of ownership | First to file — prior use is evidence, not a right |
| Who may apply | Owners, authorised representatives and assignees, including foreign individuals and entities, filing directly |
| Examination | Absolute and relative grounds |
| Opposition | Three months from publication; applicant then has three months to respond |
| Term | Ten years, renewable indefinitely |
| Grace period | Six months, with additional fees |
| Non-use | Revocable after five continuous years without valid justification |
| Counterfeiting | Criminal fines of MVR 100,000 to MVR 2,000,000, plus border seizure |
| Transition window | Twelve months from commencement |
| Paris Convention / Madrid | Not a member of either |
What is settled and what is not
The Act sets the framework. The implementing regulations — forms, fees, classification, evidence rules, hearings and appeals — are due within six months of commencement, so by around 11 May 2027.
That gap is the practical reality of the next few months. The legal start date is 11 November 2026, but the office may not be fully operational until the regulations issue. Plan for the date and expect the mechanics to settle afterwards.
Everything in these notes is drawn from the Act and from established practitioner analysis of it. The Act itself is published in Dhivehi in the Government Gazette, and no official English text exists, so confirm procedural detail with MIPO before relying on it.
The register
The Act establishes a state-maintained Register of Trademarks, publicly accessible, with MIPO as the administering authority. Registrations, renewals, assignments, licences and other transactions are all entered on it.
For a market where the only public record of a brand claim was a newspaper advertisement, that is the substantive change. A searchable register means clearance becomes possible, conflicts become visible before they become disputes, and a transaction can be verified.
Who can file, and for what
Applications may be made by owners, authorised representatives and assignees — including foreign individuals and entities, who can file directly rather than through a local proxy arrangement.
The definition of a registrable mark is broad: words, letters, numerals, logos, symbols, figurative elements, patterns and shapes, and combinations of these. An application must carry a clear representation of the mark, expressly declare any colour claim, and identify the goods and services properly.
See types of trademarks and filing a trademark.
Getting to registration
Applications are examined on absolute grounds — distinctiveness, descriptiveness, public policy — and on relative grounds, meaning conflict with earlier marks. See marks that cannot be registered.
An accepted application is published and open to opposition for three months. Grounds include conflict with earlier pending or registered marks, bad faith, and conflict with well-known marks or other prior IP rights. The applicant then has three months to respond. See trademark opposition.
Keeping the registration
Ten years from filing, renewable indefinitely in ten-year terms, with a six-month grace period for late renewal on payment of additional fees. See renewal.
A registration becomes vulnerable to revocation after five continuous years of non-use without valid justification. The evidential standard for proving use awaits the regulations. See cancellation and non-use.
Enforcement
The Act gives courts interim injunctions, including ex parte relief in urgent cases, damages and recovery of enforcement costs, and orders for destruction or removal of infringing goods.
Counterfeiting also attracts criminal penalties — fines from MVR 100,000 to MVR 2,000,000 — and the State has authority to seize counterfeit goods at the border. For a tourism economy with heavy import traffic, the border power is the one with teeth.
See infringement and enforcement.
The transition, and the exposure in it
Rights holders relying on cautionary notices or prior use must file under the new system within a twelve-month transition period after commencement.
Past use and previously published notices may serve as evidence in opposition or cancellation proceedings. They do not create statutory rights and do not guarantee registration.
So a brand that has traded in the Maldives for fifteen years, with cautionary notices published throughout, holds no statutory right on 11 November 2026. Someone else filing first holds it, and the long-standing user is left arguing its history through opposition or cancellation rather than asserting a right.
That is the single most important thing in the Act for anyone already in the market. See the transition to registration.
No international route
The Maldives is a WTO member and works with WIPO, but it is not a party to the Paris Convention or the Madrid Protocol.
There is therefore no international registration designating the Maldives, and no Convention priority to claim from an earlier foreign filing. Protection requires a direct national application, and the filing date is the Maldivian filing date.
What to do before November
- Decide the marks that matter in the Maldives, and in which classes.
- Be ready to file on day one. First to file rewards preparation, and a twelve-month transition window is not a queue you want to join late.
- Assemble the use evidence — cautionary notices published, invoices, advertising, dates of first use — because under the transition it is evidence rather than a right, and evidence has to exist to be used.
- Watch for the regulations, which set the forms, fees and classification.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Maldives Trademarks Act come into force? On 11 November 2026, twelve months after ratification. MIPO, which administers it, was established on 1 January 2026.
Can I still use a cautionary notice? Until 11 November 2026 it is the only route available. After that it is not a substitute for registration, though a published notice may serve as evidence in a dispute.
Is the Maldives first to file or first to use? First to file. Ownership is determined primarily by filing date, not by prior commercial use.
How long will a Maldives registration last? Ten years, renewable indefinitely in ten-year terms, with a six-month grace period for late renewal.
Can a foreign company file directly? Yes. The Act allows applications from foreign individuals and entities, filing directly.
Can I claim priority from my home filing? No. The Maldives is not a Paris Convention member, so there is no Convention priority and no Madrid designation route.
Useful official resources
- Maldives Intellectual Property Office — the register, forms and regulations as they issue
- Maldives Government Gazette — the Act as published
- Trademarks Act, Law No. 19/2025
See our related notes on the transition to registration, cautionary notices and filing a trademark.
Trading in the Maldives without a registration, with the window opening in weeks? Talk to us.