Therefore, the requirement to submit a legalised PoA annually has been abolished.

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

These services are the publication of the Official Gazette, oppositions, recordals of assignment, and recordals of change of name and address.

This shift took place in early October 2024.

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

Effective 10 October 2024, users can select items from the 12th Edition of the Nice Classification through the online filing portal.

This has also opened the possibility of selecting ten (10) items from the list of goods instead of four (4) items. Applications pending examination may be amended to include up to ten (10) items.

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

If you are interested in our services or have any queries on how we can assist you with your IP portfolios in the Middle East, please contact us at main@qumsieh.com to arrange a meeting.

Under the new guidelines, the patent annuities have to be paid in accordance with their due dates regardless of whether a decision on the application has been issued.

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

There has been no formal announcement yet; however, the implementing regulations regarding this change are expected to be issued in January 2025.

It is still unclear whether the TMO will allow multiple classes in a single application, or whether it will allow sub-classes.

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

This comes after a closure of many years due to civil unrest.

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

PAYMENT OF ANNUITIES
Last month, the Department announced that applicants can choose not to pay the annuity fees after the third year (from the date of filing or from the international filing date if the application is a PCT-national phase application) if the patent application is still pending. Once the Patent Office issues a grant decision, the applicant must pay all overdue annuities along with the grant fees, while the remaining subsequent annuities can be paid on their respective due dates.

The new announcement confirms that the Department will not accept further annuity payments after the third year if the application is still under consideration.

PATENT FEES
The Department has announced the implementation of Ministerial Decision No. 60 for 2024, which reduces the official fees for certain services provided by the Ministry. The reduction affects services related to businesses and intellectual property rights, including patents and industrial designs.

The new rates went into force on 11 July 2024.

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

The new guidelines stipulate the following:

• The PoA must contain the seal and stamp of the issuing notary;
• PoAs are valid for three (3) years only. To ensure their validity, older PoAs must be stamped by the Ministry of Justice in Qatar;
• If the PoA is not drafted in Arabic, then a certified Arabic translation is required by a certified translator;
• PoAs issued by the Qatari Embassies/Consulates abroad must be attested to by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and
• PoAs issued by foreign notaries abroad must be stamped by the Embassy/Consulate of the issuing country in Qatar and then attested to by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If you require more information, please contact qatar@qumsieh.com.

Applicants can now choose not to pay the annuity fees after the third year [from the date of filing or from the international filing date if the application is a PCT-national phase application] if the patent application is still pending. Once the Patent Office issues a grant decision, the applicant must pay all overdue annuities along with the grant fees, while the remaining subsequent annuities can be paid on their respective due dates.

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