NEWS
Saudi Arabia: Preparing for PCT Filings
The Saudi Patent Office will begin acting as a Patent Cooperation Treaty Receiving Office as of January 1, 2015. International applications may be filed at the SPO ...
Kuwait: Claiming Priority Now Possible
The Kuwaiti Trademark Office announced that it will be accepting new trademark applications with priority claims. Required documents will now include a certified copy of the priority ...
2014 in Playback: Annual Report on Regional Developments
Our annual Playback series sums up the most the important intellectual property developments and news that unfolded over the past year in the Middle East and North ...
Jordan: TMO Sets Precedent for the Protection of Geographic Indicators
The Jordanian Trademark Office, in an unprecedented move, ruled for the protection of BASMATI, a famous geographical indicator for rice originating from the Indian subcontinent. Various rice ...
Saudi Arabia: Cracking Down on Counterfeiting
More than two thousand smartphone packing cases bearing the marks of famous brands were recently seized in Saudi Arabia. According to a statement by the Ministry of ...
Bahrain: Trademark Examination Update
In order to ensure proper workflow, the Bahraini Trademark Office recently requested applicants to provide missing documents or their applications will be declared abandoned. Effective February 1, ...
Kuwait: Restructuring IP Protection
The United States recently transferred Kuwait from the Special 301 Report Watch List to the Priority Watch List for potential breaches of intellectual property rights. Kuwait’s accession ...
UAE: Monitoring Intellectual Property Rights Protection
Dubai recently launched a quarterly index to monitor the protection of intellectual property rights. The index will also identify areas for improvement in the regulatory policies, processes, ...
Oman: Substantive Examination Fees Due
The Sultanate of Oman declared on November 2, 2014 that the substantive examination fees for patent applications submitted between 2003 and 2007 will be due within two ...