The Cayman Islands began developing into a major international financial centre in the 1960s, and now has over 100,000 companies registered with the Registry of Companies. The growth continues at a steady pace with an average of 10,200 new companies registered each year over the past ten years. The registration and control of companies are governed by the Companies Law, the Limited Liability Companies Law and the Foundation Companies Law.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property (IP) is a creation of the mind and includes inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols, and names and images used in business. Want to find out what rights you need to best protect your unique Intellectual Property?
Patent
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. On 19 December 2016, the Patents and Trade Marks (Amendment) Law, 2016 was gazetted and is in force.
Business Name
A business name is simply a name used to identify your business. It does not give you exclusive rights to that name. If another company uses your business name for their business, you don’t have any right to stop them. If you do not want others using your business name, you should consider registering it as a trademark.
Copyright
Your creative work is protected by copyright. Copyright is the term used to describe the exclusive rights given to creators of original literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works so that they can publish, reproduce, perform or produce such works. On 30 June 2016, Part 1 of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 was extended to the Cayman Islands, subject to certain exclusions and modifications, at the request of the Government.
Trade Mark
You can register slogans, words, brands and logos as a trademark. A trademark is a unique way of identifying a product or service. It’s sometimes referred to as a ’brand’ or ‘logo’. On 19 December 2016, the Trade Marks Law, 2016 was gazetted and in force.
Design Rights
Design rights protect the visual appearance of a product or item and give you exclusive rights for that appearance. On 19 December 2016, the Design Rights Registration Law, 2016 was gazetted and is in force.
Please visit the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office to see how best to protect your unique Intellectual Property.
Government Agencies
Cayman Islands General Registry →
Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office →