Record a new owner or licence for a trademark or patent
Kenya Industrial Property Institute · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Fill the right KIPI form (TM14 for a new trademark owner, TM48 for a trademark licensee, IP18 or IP20 for patents), pay on KIPI's eCitizen and hand in the form with your receipt and a copy of the deed or contract. Recording a trademark assignment costs KSh 3,000 for the first class.
- Fee
- KSh 3,000Trademark assignment or transmission (TM14), first classKSh 6,000Trademark registered user / licensee (TM48), first classKSh 7,000Patent change of ownership by assignment contract (IP18)KSh 5,000Patent change of ownership in any other way (IP18)KSh 30,000Registering a patent licence contract (IP20)
- Where
- Pay on KIPI's eCitizen, then hand in your forms at KIPI Centre, 17 Kabarsiran Avenue, off Waiyaki Way, Lavington, Nairobi. Patents can also go through KIPI's online patent filing system.
What you need
- For a trademark: the deed of assignment, with stamp duty paid
- For a patent ownership change (Form IP18): copies of the documents required under Regulation 39(4)
- For a patent licence (Form IP20): the documents required under Regulation 40(3)
- The eCitizen payment receipt and the filled form
Steps
- Download the right form from KIPI's Patent and Trademark Forms page: TM14 (new trademark owner), TM48 (trademark licensee), IP18 (new patent owner) or IP20 (patent licence).
- For a trademark, log in to KIPI's eCitizen (kipi.ecitizen.go.ke), generate an invoice for the service and pay.
- Hand in the filled form with the eCitizen receipt and a copy of the deed or contract to KIPI for processing.
- For a patent already filed, you can submit IP18 or IP20 on KIPI's online patent filing system under Post Filing, then pay with the payment reference it gives you.
Watch out
- KIPI only accepts the deed of assignment if stamp duty has been paid on it, so stamp it first.
- Trademark fees are per class: each extra class costs KSh 2,000 more for an assignment.
- If you don't live or do business in Kenya, you pay the foreign fee in US dollars instead.
Who can apply
- Trademarks: the person who now owns the mark by assignment or transmission applies to be registered as the owner.
- Patents: the applicant asks KIPI to record the change of ownership for a patent or patent application.
Official sources (10)
- Patent and Trademark Forms kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Form TM 14: Request to register assignment or transmission kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Form IP 18: Application to have change of ownership recorded in register kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Form IP 20: Petition for registration of a licence contract kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Trade Marks Rules, First Schedule: Fees kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Industrial Property Regulations, First Schedule: Fees kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Public notice on payment for KIPI services on eCitizen kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- How to file a patent application using the e-filing system kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Trade Marks kipi.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Kenya Industrial Property Institute - eCitizen kipi.ecitizen.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026