In other news, the infighting and uncertainty within the UDP - has led to reports that one of the factions went to try and register the party name as a trademark.
Well, the Attorney General's Ministry, in collaboration with the Belize Intellectual Property Office says that's not allowed - after a new Statutory Instrument.
A release says "It represents a significant step in safeguarding Belize's political heritage....(previously) private individuals or entities with no affiliation to a political party could have potentially registered a party's symbol, name, or emblem as a trademark for commercial or other purposes, thereby undermining the political party's identity and confusing the electorate...Since political parties in Belize are not recognized as legal entities under the Companies Act or other legislation, they were unable to directly register their own marks.
Under the amended rules, a "political party symbol" is now defined to include any insignia, emblem, flag, seal, logo, design, or name that has been used for at least ten years and is associated with a political party that has fielded candidates in elections under the Representation of the People Act or relevant local government legislation.
