The Angolan government has received over 27,000 requests for trademarks and patents since social life returned to normal after the civil war ended in 2002, the official news agency Angop reported on Monday.

Some 10,800 or 40 percent of the requests were concluded by the issuing of respective licenses while the others were not accepted due to lack of conditions for registration, Director General of the Angolan Institute of the Industrial Property Barros Licenca told Angop.

The official said 21,600 or 80 percent of the total requests were for foreign trademarks as the Africa country has become a consumer market that receives products and services from foreign countries with different trademarks.

Foreigners were also the biggest owners of the products and services trademarks and patents commercialized in Angola, Barros Licenca said.

However, Barros Licenca said that the conscience for property registration was yet too low in Angola, thus triggering weak adherence to these trade marks and patents.

He said the registration is optional in Angola and yet it had the advantage to enable the owner to complain over unauthorised use of it, the owner may resort to mechanisms instituted by the state for the defence of his or her right.

In Angola, Industrial Property refers to the right over the manufacturing, models, industrial designing process of products and services, commercial trademarks as well as of the agricultural activities, Angop said.

(Source: Xinhua)