Power of Attorney – NJQ & Associates

LIBYA: THE TRADEMARK OFFICE RETRACTED ITS DECISION RELATED TO POAS

NJQ & Associates — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:28:48 +0000

TRIPOLI – The Ministry of Commerce and Trade retracted its 14 February 2024 decision that required the submission of legalised powers of attorney (PoAs) on an annual basis.

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

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

QATAR: NEW REGULATIONS REGARDING POAS

NJQ & Associates — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:22:30 +0000

DOHA — The Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (the Department) issued new guidelines regarding the validation of the power of attorney (PoA) used for IP matters.

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.

LIBYA: POWERS OF ATTORNEY ARE VALID FOR ONE YEAR

NJQ & Associates — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 07:54:14 +0000

TRIPOLI – The Ministry of Commerce and Trade issued a circular on 14 February 2024, stipulating new rules regarding the powers of attorney (PoA) and other related matters.

The circular states that the legalised PoA is valid for only one (1) year. Therefore, agents must submit a new legalised PoA annually to maintain the applicant’s trademark registration. The same applies to the commercial register document. Failing to do so will result in the cancellation of the registration.

You can find a copy of the circular here.

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ABOLISHES THE REQUIREMENT FOR A LEGALISED POA FOR TRADEMARK RENEWAL

NJQ & Associates — Mon, 29 May 2023 07:30:26 +0000

ABU DHABI – The Trademark & Copyright Works Department of the Ministry of Economy has recently started to accept trademark renewal applications without requiring a legalised power of attorney (PoA).

This new practice simplifies the trademark renewal process in the UAE for owners without going through the legalisation of PoAs. Prior practice required a legalised PoA with the trademark renewal application.

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

SAUDI ARABIA: UPDATE ON APOSTILLED DOCUMENTS

NJQ & Associates — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:10:55 +0000

RIYADH – Further to the accession of Saudi Arabia into The Hague Apostille Convention in early 2022, apostilled powers of attorney (POA) can be submitted before the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP). SAIP further requires that apostilled documents be legalised by the Ministry of Justice (Ministry) before submission.

To do that, IP agents need to book an appointment with the Ministry, which could take up to a month to secure. Once booked, the agent must appear in person before the Ministry. This procedure can be an obstacle in case of a priority claim, renewal deadline, or any other matter with a deadline.

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

THE GAZA STRIP (STATE OF PALESTINE): NEW REGULATIONS REGARDING POWERS OF ATTORNEY

NJQ & Associates — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:07:19 +0000

GAZA – The Deputy Office of the Ministry of the National Economy in the State of Palestine now requires applicants and their agents to submit a photocopy of their powers of attorney at the time they file a trademark application, along with a document attesting the position of the signatory person.

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

IRAQ: UPDATES REGARDING POWERS OF ATTORNEY

NJQ & Associates — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:03:18 +0000

BAGHDAD – Despite the regulation requiring a legalised power of attorney (POA) to be filed within six (6) months of the application date, it is recommended to submit at least a notarized copy of the POA at the time of filing. This is to protect the application from being challenged on the basis that it did not comply with the regulations in the event of litigation. In other words, the notarized POA must accompany the application.

It is still possible, however, to submit a fully legalised POA within the six (6) month period.

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

PALESTINE (STATE OF): NEW REGULATION FOR POWERS OF ATTORNEY

NJQ & Associates — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 06:52:46 +0000

RAMALLAH – The Trademark Office in the Ministry of National Economy has, on 8 November 2022, issued a new regulation regarding the authorisation of trademark agents in the State of Palestine.

The new regulation stipulates that powers of attorney must revoke all prior authorisations. Further, only one local agent can be responsible for all trademarks in the same owner’s name.

The above will become effective on 1 January 2023.

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: UPDATE ON POA REQUIREMENTS FOR PATENTS AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS

NJQ & Associates — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 05:40:07 +0000

ABU DHABI – On 21 September 2022, the Ministry of Economy issued a circular email announcing the new legalisation requirements for the powers of attorney (PoA) related to patents and industrial designs.

PoAs and other required documents no longer need to be legalised by the Consulate of the UAE, i.e., notarization of the same will suffice.

A stamp of a UAE public entity (e.g. government organisations, national universities) is now regarded as equivalent to notarization.

In addition, if the inventor is an employee of a UAE company, it is possible to submit a certificate of employment or a copy of the employment contract instead of the deed of assignment.

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

IRAQ: SIX-MONTH GRANT TO PROVIDE MISSING DOCUMENTS FOR PENDING APPLICATIONS

NJQ & Associates — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 07:48:03 +0000

BAGHDAD – The Directorate of Patents and Industrial Designs in Iraq has, on 1 July 2022, announced that it will grant a period of six (6) months for IP owners and agents to submit missing documents, such as powers of attorney, on all IP pending applications. Otherwise, such applications will lapse.

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