New rules for trademark searches have been implemented at the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). On the 20th of September 2016, JIPO issued a notice to its customers in the following terms:

“Please be advised that the public computers in the search area are made available for obtaining information on specific trade marks and trade mark clearance searches, i.e. checking if a similar or identical trade mark has been filed. Other types of searches, namely proprietor searches and date range searches, will no longer be available using these public computers. Proprietor searches will be performed by the office upon request and payment of the requisite fees, with only information on published and registered marks being provided.”

Most notably, proprietor searches will no longer be permitted by customers themselves, and information on unpublished applications will not be provided within the results of a proprietor search.