Patents Registry Orders Jigsimur Plus to Drop Name and Halt Sales Over Bad-Faith Design

Nigeria’s Patents and Designs Registry has ordered Jigsimur Plus Nigeria Limited to stop producing and selling products under a disputed “Jigsimur Label Bottle Design,” after finding that the design had been registered in bad faith.

The Administrative Panel Division in Abuja also ordered the company to remove the name “JIGSIMUR” from Industrial Design Number NG/DS/NT/O/2025/4804. It gave the company 30 days to comply, warning that the design would otherwise be expunged from the Register of Industrial Designs.

The ruling followed a petition by Jigsimur SA Pty Ltd and Cleansimure International Ltd. They alleged that Jigsimur Plus registered the design without authority after its agency relationship with them ended on April 23, 2023. The panel said documents including the termination notice, bills of lading and email correspondence supported the petitioners’ case, while Jigsimur Plus did not effectively deny the documents.

Jigsimur Plus denied the allegations. It said it had been lawfully appointed as the Nigerian representative of Jigsimur SA Original Pty and argued that its design certificate had been issued legally. It also accused the petitioners of trying to exploit its goodwill and market presence. The panel rejected that position after reviewing the documents and oral submissions.

On the JIGSIMUR name, the panel examined rights in Nigeria and relied on trademark certificates RTM 43580 and 43581. The certificates cover the name in Class 5 and belong to CAN AFFORD PRODUCTS AND PROJECTS (PTY) LTD, which appointed the petitioners to sell and distribute the product in Nigeria. The panel said the evidence established the petitioners’ rights to the name in the country.