As the region awaits an update from the GCC Patent Office on resuming regional patent filings, the Secretariat General of the GCC in the meantime published the amendments to the GCC Patent Law, which were approved in the last meeting of the GCC summit. The amended law was published in the Official Gazette No. 22 which was issued on April 11, 2021
In summary, the new law sees amendments or replacements of a number of articles, namely Articles 1, 4, 9, 17-21, 25, 28-30 and 32-33. Most importantly though, is the introduction of Article 1 (bis) and its various provisions wherein the GCC Patent Office may accept new patent filings at the request of one of the GCC national offices, as well as its examination. No patent will be granted without the approval of the requesting national office or offices, and in all cases, a GCC patent will only be enforced in the said country or countries only.
As for pending and granted patents, these will be prosecuted and enforced pursuant to the law and regulations under which they were filed and no changes will be applied on them.
The effect of the amended law and its provisions will be applied once the implementing regulations are published. Also to be published will be the list of the participating countries and the services they may request from the filing of a GCC patent application.
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