International records / OpenAlex research

The Evolution of Trademark Law in Nigeria: History, Reform and Limits

Trademark law has historically evolved in response to shifts in commercial organisation, from ownership marks and guild-based liability to modern source identification and goodwill protection. Yet the digitally connected marketplace — platform-based trade, non-traditional branding, virtual assets, and global online identifiers — has fundamentally challenged the industrial-era assumptions embedded in Nigeria’s trademark framework. The research problem addressed is that, despite recent statutory reforms expanding the meaning and scope of trademarks, Nigerian law remains only partially aligned wi…