Bahrain’s Accession to the Locarno Agreement
The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken an important step in strengthening its intellectual property framework by officially acceding to the Locarno Agreement, which establishes the international classification system for industrial designs.
This development aligns Bahrain’s industrial design classification system with international standards and is expected to make the registration, management, and protection of industrial designs more consistent and efficient.
The accession was formalized through the enactment of Law No. (21) of 2026, which was published in the Official Gazette Issue No. 3885 on Monday, 25 May 2026, and in accordance with Article 2, it entered into force on 26 May 2026, the day following its publication, marking the official and legally effective date of Bahrain’s accession to the Agreement
As part of this development, Bahrain has adopted the 15th edition of the Locarno Classification, the internationally recognized classification system for industrial designs. The adoption of this classification provides rights holders with a standardized framework for defining and protecting their industrial design assets during enforcement or litigation proceedings before the Bahraini judicial authorities.
Rights holders with existing or planned industrial design filings in Bahrain should consider this development when managing their design portfolios.
For further information or assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at: bahrain@alyafi-ip.com
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