This step reflects the growing collaboration between Saudi Arabia and the United States in the area of intellectual property (IP) as it aims to improve and mainstream IP services to support business development in both countries.

Thus, the USPTO becomes the 7th ISA designated by SAIP, which includes the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the Egyptian Patent Office (EGPO), the Russian Federal Administration of Intellectual Property (ROSPATENT), and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).

For more information, please contact saudi-arabia@qumsieh.com.

The new rates went into effect on 22 February 2023.

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

Under the pilot programme, applicants whose claims have been examined by SAIP or the EPO may request accelerated processing of their corresponding patent application.

The two offices will share existing work results and data, enabling the offices to make use of each other’s work. This should lead to reduced efforts, increased efficiency, and reduced costs for users.

For more information, please contact saudi-arabia@qumsieh.com.

As for pending patent applications and issued patents, EGPO has granted IP agents a time allowance until 28 February 2022 to add such applications into the new electronic system.

Accordingly, any patents with the 20th annuity due this year must be inserted into the new online portal.

Other application procedures and fees remain unchanged.

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

The new law affects patents, industrial designs, utility models, and trade secrets. The major changes to the current law are as follows:

• Introducing a 12-month grace period to file a patent application after its disclosure;
• The possibility to request an accelerated examination;
• Increased protection period of the industrial design for up to 20 years, and
• Allowing the patentability of purpose-limited product claims.

The Council of Ministers is expected to draft the implementing regulations of this law before the end of 2021. Until then, the implementation of the provisions of current Federal Law shall continue.

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

Patent protection in those countries, however, can be sought via the provisions of the Paris Convention or via PCT at the national patent offices.

The GCCPO will continue to process pending applications and receiving annuity payments, but will not accept new GCC patent applications.

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

In addition, on 12 October 2020, the Directorate announced the possibility of submitting trademark renewal applications, requests for recordals, search requests, and International Registrations (IR) related transactions through the same portal, unifying all processes, making the following new trademark services available electronically via their online filing system:

• Trademark renewals;
• Recordal of change of name/address of an owner;
• Recordal of assignments;
• Changing the legal representative’s name/address;
• Appointing a new agent;
• Recordal of license agreements;
• Request to cancel a license agreement;
• Recordal of mortgages;
• Request to cancel a mortgage;
• Cancelling of a registered trademark by the owner;
• Request to amend the list of goods and services partially;
• Request to withdraw a trademark before registration;
• Other amendment requests;
• Preliminary examination requests of a trademark;
• Requests for certified copies of documents (registration certificates, applications as filed, renewal certificates);
• Inquiries by applicant name or trademark number;
• Payment of an IR official fee;
• Transitioning of an IR application to a national application (for trademarks and collective trademarks), and
• Request of a transformation of a national trademark application to an IR application.

The online system serves to enhance the filing experience for users, applicants, and agents and is meant to reduce the timeframe required to complete the procedures at the Directorate.

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

Previously, these cases were handled by two quasi-judicial committees; the first one was to adjudicate cases related to patents, integrated circuits, plant varieties, and industrial designs. The second committee was dedicated to adjudicating copyright cases.

For more information, please contact saudi-arabia@qumsieh.com.

In case the applicant fails to do so, a grace period of three (3) months is given with a penalty equal to double the original prescribed fees.

Please send your patent annuity instructions to info@qumsieh.com.

Publications
Patent applications will be published after 18 months from the filing date or 18 months from the priority date. Previously, only accepted patent applications were published, so it will be possible to search for pending patent applications after the payment of the prescribed fees.

Official Fees
The new regulation now distinguishes between individual and corporate applicants. Accordingly, the patent official fees have been reviewed and re-structured to reflect the new amendments in compliance with the Patent Law amendments.

Our updated schedule of charges are available upon request.

If you have any questions, please contact jordan@qumsieh.com.