Trademark Services in Mongolia

1.Trademark Search & Clearance

Before filing a trademark application in Mongolia, we recommend a comprehensive clearance search of the Mongolian trademark register. Mongolia is a first-to-file jurisdiction — an undetected conflicting earlier mark can block registration, trigger a costly office action, or result in refusal. Our searches cover the IPOM's database of national registrations and Mongolian designations of international registrations, and are accompanied by a written assessment of registrability and conflict risk.

• Full trademark clearance searches — word marks and device marks
• Written registrability assessment and conflict risk analysis
• Searches across identical and similar goods and services
• Preliminary searches in advance of international filing programmes
• Monitoring of the Mongolian register for conflicting applications

2.Trademark Registration & Prosecution

We handle all aspects of trademark registration in Mongolia, from preparation and filing of the application through to the issuance of the registration certificate. We act for foreign applicants filing direct national applications with the IPOM and for holders of international registrations designating Mongolia through the Madrid System. Mongolia is a member of both the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol. Our work includes responding to office actions and preliminary refusals on absolute and relative grounds, managing opposition proceedings, advising on specification scope and classification strategy, and representing clients at all stages of the prosecution process.

• Direct national trademark applications before the IPOM
• Madrid Protocol designations — prosecution and office action responses
• Responses to preliminary refusals on absolute and relative grounds
• Multi-class applications and specification strategy
• Registration of collective marks and certification marks
• Well-known trademark recognition applications before the IPOM

→How to Register a Trademark in Mongolia

3.Madrid Protocol — Provisional Refusal Responses

Mongolia is a member of the Madrid System. When a Mongolian designation of an international application receives a provisional refusal from the IPOM, the holder must respond within the deadline stated in the refusal notification — in our experience typically three months from the date of WIPO notification. No extension of this deadline is available. If no response is filed, the refusal becomes final and Mongolia is excluded from the scope of the international registration. We act as local Mongolian correspondent for foreign law firms and in-house legal teams on all aspects of Mongolian Madrid designations. Where a refusal cites an earlier registered mark, we investigate that mark's status, scope, and actual use — and advise on whether a non-use cancellation action should be pursued in parallel with the refusal response.

• Provisional refusal responses — absolute and relative grounds
• Strategic assessment and prospects advice on receipt of refusal
• Investigation of cited earlier marks — status, scope, and use
• Non-use cancellation of cited earlier marks (Art. 33.1.3, Trademark Law)
• Opposition proceedings against Madrid designations (5-month period from international publication — Art. 11.9, Trademark Law)

→Mongolia and the Madrid Protocol

4.Oppositions & Invalidation

We represent clients in all stages of opposition and invalidity proceedings before the IPOM's Dispute Resolution Committee. Grounds for challenge include similarity to an earlier registered mark, bad faith registration under Article 5.2.11 of the Law of Mongolia on Trademarks and Geographical Indications (Trademark Law), conflict with a well-known mark, and non-use of a registered mark for five or more years. General invalidity requests must be filed within one year of publication in the Official Gazette (Art. 32.3, Trademark Law).

• Filing oppositions against published trademark applications — national and Madrid designations
• Defending oppositions against clients’ applications
• Invalidity actions — relative grounds, absolute grounds, and bad faith (Art. 5.2.11, Trademark Law)
• Non-use cancellation actions after five years of non-use (Art. 33.1.3, Trademark Law)
• Well-known trademark grounds — opposition and invalidity
• Representation before the Dispute Resolution Committee of the IPOM

→Mongolia's First-to-File System and the Risk of Bad Faith Trademark Registrations

5.Trademark Enforcement & Anti-Counterfeiting

Mongolia's trademark enforcement framework provides registered trademark owners with a range of tools to stop infringement, recover damages, and remove infringing goods from the market. We advise foreign rights holders on the most appropriate enforcement strategy in each situation — from cease and desist correspondence through to civil court proceedings. We have acted in enforcement matters across a range of sectors including media, technology, consumer goods, education, and aviation. Our enforcement experience includes trade dress infringement, unauthorised use of well-known marks, and product counterfeiting.

• Cease and desist letters and infringement notices
• Trade dress infringement and unfair competition claims
• On-site and online investigations
• Administrative enforcement before the IPOM and competent state authorities
• Civil court injunction proceedings
• Civil damages claims
• Actions against counterfeiting and product piracy
• Customs recordal of trademarks — border enforcement against infringing goods

6.Licensing & Assignments

Trademark licences and assignments in Mongolia must be recorded with the IPOM to be effective. Under Article 17.2 of the Trademark Law, as amended in 2024, a licence agreement must be registered with the IPOM to be valid. Assignments must similarly be recorded to establish ownership in relation to third parties and before the enforcement authorities. We advise clients on the structuring of trademark licences and assignments under Mongolian law and handle all aspects of the recordal process — including inter-group assignments in the context of corporate restructuring, where tight deadlines and multiple registrations are common.

• Drafting and reviewing trademark licence agreements
• Recordal of licence agreements with the IPOM (Art. 17.2, Trademark Law)
• Trademark assignments — preparation and recordal with the IPOM
• Inter-group trademark assignments in corporate restructuring
• Licensing strategy advice for foreign brand owners entering Mongolia
• Advice on structuring distribution and franchising arrangements to protect brand ownership

7.Renewals & Portfolio Management

A Mongolian trademark registration is valid for ten years from the filing date and may be renewed indefinitely for successive ten-year periods (Art. 9.3, Trademark Law). A renewal request may be submitted up to twelve months before expiry, or within six months after expiry with a surcharge (Art. 10.2). We provide renewal reminder services and manage ongoing portfolio maintenance for clients with multiple registrations in Mongolia.

• Trademark renewal applications — national and Madrid registrations
• Renewal deadline monitoring and advance reminder service
• Portfolio reviews — identifying vulnerable, unused, or expiring registrations
• Register updates — changes of name, address, and ownership
• Portfolio strategy advice for brand owners expanding into Mongolia

Why Alimaa IP Law

Alimaa IP Law is a boutique firm practising exclusively in trademark law in Mongolia. The firm is led by Alimaa Erdenebat, who is dual-qualified in Mongolia and New York, holds law degrees from universities in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and has over fourteen years of experience in trademark law. She is the author of the Mongolia chapter in a leading international IP manual published by Kluwer Law International.

Unlike some other IP service providers operating in the Mongolian market, Alimaa IP Law does not use intermediaries, local agents, or non-lawyer contractors. All work is handled directly by qualified lawyers based in Ulaanbaatar. Foreign counsel and in-house teams instruct us directly and deal with us directly throughout every matter.

Instruct Alimaa IP Law

For trademark matters in Mongolia, please contact us directly. We respond to all enquiries from foreign law firms and in-house legal teams within one business day.

contact@alimaaiplaw.com·www.alimaaiplaw.com·+976-7720 0055·Suite 1001, Meru Tower, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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