Libya was recognized as a sovereign State by the UN in 1949 (effective January 2, 1952). A pre-independence constituent assembly chose the constitutional monarchy form of government and named the Emir as King of Libya, December 3, 1950. A hereditary monarchy was proclaimed by King Idris in Benghazi on December 24, 1951. The monarchy was deposed on September 1, 1969, and a Republic created.

Libya is a UN and Arab League member.

Remarks on intellectual property:

Since 1981, all patent and trademark matters seem to have been suspended in Libya.

The Patent Office has resumed its functions and applications are accepted, but the result of the examination phase takes a few years without any prediction as to when it may be revealed. The applications are apparently simply entered into a Register.

The Trademark Office has also resumed its full activities since August 2003. However, it is considered that all trademark applications filed prior to August 2003 should be re-filed to ensure protection.

As a result of the recent unrest period, transactions were set on hold. In December 2011 the Patent Office resumed its operations in accepting new filings normally. The Trademark Office also resumed its activities and announced that it started issuing registration certificates for trademark applications that were filed in 2002 and 2003 (however, no registration certificate issued to date). In June 2014, the Trademark Office once again suspended its operations following increasing unrest. The Trademark Office resumed its operations on May 28, 2023.