As of October 2025, industrial design applications may now be submitted in person at the Department in the Ministry’s main building. Applicants are required to pay the applicable official fees at the reception desks after filing their application.

The Ministry has clarified that all application forms, required documents, and the adopted classification system are now available on the official website of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The required documents are:

• Power of attorney, legalised.
• Copy of the inventor’s ID Card, passport, or commercial register.
• Copy of the applicant’s ID Card, passport, or commercial register.
• Copy of the design figures (digital images) if the design is 2-dimensional. If the design is 3D, the copies must cover all views (no more than 25 images).
• Certified copy of the priority document (if claimed).

This development signals the activation of industrial design protection in Qatar, where previously the only option to protect a design was to publish a cautionary notice containing design details in a daily newspaper.

For more information, please contact qatar@qumsieh.com.

We welcome the opportunity to connect with peers, colleagues, and clients during this event. If you are interested in learning more about our services or wish to discuss how we can support your intellectual property portfolios across the Middle East, we would be delighted to arrange a meeting.

To schedule an appointment, please contact us at main@qumsieh.com.

The Port of Sudan office, while active, operated with limited capacity. For example, while new intellectual property applications were accepted in chronological order to preserve applicants’ priority rights, subsequent procedures—such as examination and publication—were postponed until full operations could be resumed.

With conditions in Khartoum now showing signs of improvement, the IPO has confirmed that it will fully resume its functions at its original headquarters by the beginning of November 2025.

Due to the turbulent situation, and to ensure consistency of its data, the IPO now requests that all renewal and recordal applications be accompanied by a photocopy of the trademark registration certificate, the last renewal certificate, or the last recordal certificate.

For further information, please contact sudan@qumsieh.com.

Applicants seeking to register trademarks in this class must now submit a formal declaration confirming the following:

• The trademark is being registered for priority rights protection only, and
• The mark will not be used within the Yemeni market.

This declaration is subject to an official fee of YR 30,000 and may be drafted by legal officers at the Department.

It is important to note that this declaration is only a formality and does not authorise the commercial use of pharmaceutical or medical goods in Yemen. Actual use of such goods remains strictly dependent upon obtaining a separate licence from the Supreme Authority for Medicines and Medical Supplies.

This new requirement replaces the Department’s previous policy, which had been in effect for several months, whereby applicants were required to provide a license from the Supreme Authority to proceed with trademark applications in Class 5.

For more information, please contact yemen@qumsieh.com.

The revised structure applies to both domestic and foreign applicants in a strategic initiative aimed at supporting the development of Egypt’s intellectual property framework and enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of patent services.

For more information, please contact egypt@qumsieh.com.

These updates come through Cabinet Resolution No. (102) of 2025, issued on 8 October 2025, which will enter into force on 15 November 2025, and a corresponding update to individual fees under the Madrid Protocol, effective 2 November 2025.

Revised Madrid Protocol Fees:
As announced by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the individual fee for designating the UAE under the Madrid Protocol has been reduced from CHF 1,630 to CHF 1,420 per class, applicable to international applications, subsequent designations, and renewals filed on or after 2 November 2025.

New Services Introduced by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism:
The updated domestic framework includes:

• One-day trademark examination (express examination) with an additional fee.
• Temporary trademark protection for events, exhibitions, and workshops.
• Conversion of national applications to international applications under the Madrid Protocol
• New appeal fees based on the nature of the dispute (e.g. appeal against rejection or opposition decisions).
• 50% fee reduction for SMEs registered under the UAE National SME Programme.
• Full fee exemption for People of Determination, promoting equal access to trademark services.

For more information, please contact uae@qumsieh.com.

The TMO has reverted to its earlier practice of not requiring the submission of the original trademark registration certificate when recording a transfer of ownership. Previously, the original certificate had to be filed for endorsement purposes, adding an additional step for applicants.

Under the updated procedure, the documentation needed for an assignment is now limited to the following:

• a Power of Attorney;
• a Deed of Assignment; and
• a scanned copy of the registration certificate.

Our firm will continue to follow legislative and procedural updates in Lebanon and across the region, ensuring our clients are informed of all developments relevant to the protection and management of their intellectual property rights.

For more information, please contact lebanon@qumsieh.com.

This shift requires some time, during which the TMO is not accepting new trademark applications. Additionally, trademark transactions with deadlines falling during the suspension period will not be abandoned. Instead, these deadlines will be automatically carried forward and processed once the TMO resumes its operations.

Our firm continues to monitor the situation closely and will provide timely updates as soon as additional information becomes available.

For more information, please contact libya@qumsieh.com.

The decision to join the Paris Convention signifies Ethiopia’s commitment to enhancing its legal framework in support of innovation and economic growth. By harmonising its IP protection standards with those recognised globally, Ethiopia aims to create a more predictable and transparent environment for both local innovators and international investors.

For more information, please contact ethiopia@qumsieh.com.

During the initial implementation stage, the Office will adopt a dual approach. For certain trademark applications, certificates will be issued solely in electronic form. At the same time, some registrations will continue to be issued in paper form while the digital system is gradually phased in.

These provisions came into effect in early July 2025.

For any information, please contact qatar@qumsieh.com.