The National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO) of Sri Lanka has officially launched a public online search platform for intellectual property records, which has been officially open since February 5. Users can freely access Sri Lanka’s national intellectual property database covering all categories of trademarks, patents and industrial designs through this platform.
According to official disclosure from NIPO, the launch of this platform, supported by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is an important initiative for Sri Lanka to deepen international intellectual property cooperation. The platform not only realizes the free and public inquiry of intellectual property registration information but also will serve as the foundation for subsequent digital upgrades. NIPO clearly stated that it will launch an online filing function in the next step to further simplify the registration processes for trademarks, patents and other intellectual property, promoting the all-round upgrading of Sri Lanka’s intellectual property system towards efficiency improvement, process simplification and information disclosure.
Sri Lanka maintains a first-to-file system, under which intellectual property rights are mainly obtained through registration rather than mere use. The launch of this online search platform enables enterprises to conduct more efficient pre-application safety review searches, significantly reducing the risk of rights conflicts caused by information asymmetry, and also making review and search a standard preparatory step before intellectual property filing.
For enterprises looking to layout in the Sri Lankan and South Asian markets, this reform brings multiple practical insights.
Firstly, enterprises should incorporate Sri Lanka’s IP online search platform into their regular rights verification system, completing a comprehensive search for prior rights before filing to avoid infringement risks.
Secondly, based on the first-to-file principle, it is recommended that enterprises submit intellectual property applications in advance to secure priority rights, especially for categories prone to squatting such as trademarks and industrial designs, so as to shorten the layout cycle.
Finally, it is necessary to establish a regular intellectual property monitoring strategy, using the public information on the platform to timely monitor potential rights conflicts or counterfeiting behaviors, ensuring the adequate protection of their own intellectual property rights.
Source: https://www.nipo.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234:nipo-online-public-search&catid=13:event-calendar&Itemid=155&lang=en
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