Newsletter 2026

Ministry of Information Procedures, Required Documents, Applicable Laws and Protection Terms (2026)

Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration | Bahrain Copyright Office

Document contents

Competent authority
Nature and legal effect of the procedure
Bahrain copyright laws and procedures
Relevant timeframes
Who may apply for copyright protection in Bahrain
Process for filing copyright deposits
General documents required
Information required
Additional requirements by type of work
Important procedural qualification

Competent authority

The competent authority is the:

Ministry of Information Directorate of Media Administration Kingdom of Bahrain

Article 13 of Law No. 22 of 2006 refers to the “competent Authority” rather than naming a ministry. WIPO’s current IP-office directory lists the “Bahrain Copyright Office” under the Ministry of Information Affairs, Directorate of Media Administration, while Bahrain’s current government website uses the name Ministry of Information. Accordingly, “Bahrain Copyright Office” is used in this guide as WIPO’s directory label and not as a confirmed formal internal department title. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce administers industrial-property rights and should not be identified as the authority responsible for voluntary copyright deposits.

Article 1 of the Implementing Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights provides that:

«”Authors and right holders may deposit their works with the Publications and Publishing Directorate of the Ministry of Information to obtain an official certificate.”»

Source: https://www.wipo.int/en/web/country-profiles/contact?code=BH&utm.com.

Nature and legal effect of the procedure

According to Article 2 of Law No 22 of 2006, of the copyright regulations, copyright protection arises automatically when an original literary, artistic or scientific work is created. Deposit or registration is not a condition for protection. The procedure is therefore more accurately described as a voluntary copyright deposit and recordal, although it is commonly referred to as copyright registration.

Article 13 permits the rightful party to deposit a protected work with the competent authority and enter it in the register established for that purpose. The resulting record may support evidence concerning the identity of the deposited work, the claimant and the date of deposit, but it does not conclusively establish originality, authorship, ownership or non-infringement. A historical Bahrain government response to a WIPO survey stated that the certificate could be submitted to a court as a legal document; that statement supports an evidentiary role but does not make the certificate conclusive proof.

This guide concerns voluntary copyright deposit under Article 13. It does not address mandatory legal-deposit obligations that may apply separately to publishers, printers or producers of published material under Bahrain’s publishing and national-library framework.

Source: https://www.wipo.int/documents/d/copyright/docs-en-registration-replies-bahrain.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Bahrain copyright laws and procedures

Copyright and neighbouring rights in Bahrain are principally governed by Law No. 22 of 2006 on the Protection of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, as amended by Law No. 12 of 2008, Law No. 3 of 2011 and Law No. 5 of 2014. The law regulates protected works, authorship and ownership, moral and economic rights, copyright duration, permitted uses, neighbouring rights, enforcement, online-service-provider liability, collective management and voluntary deposit or recordal.

Law No. 12 of 2008 amended Article 13 expressly to permit the rightful party to deposit protected works with the competent authority and enter them in the designated register. Article 13 also contemplates a ministerial decision regulating deposit, recordal and the applicable fees.

The principal legal framework comprises:

Law No. 22 of 2006 on the Protection of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, as amended;
Law No. 12 of 2008 amending Article 13 and introducing the express voluntary-deposit mechanism;
Law No. 3 of 2011 and Law No. 5 of 2014, which amended provisions of the copyright law; and
any implementing ministerial decisions and administrative requirements applied by the Ministry of Information.

Relevant timeframes

1. Timeframe for obtaining the deposit certificate

No provision located in Law No. 22 of 2006, its published amendments or the publicly available materials reviewed establishes a 60-day statutory or regulatory processing period. Based on a meeting with the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration, Kingdom of Bahrain, the Directorate confirmed that copyright deposit applications are subject only to a formal examination, whereby it verifies that all required documents for the deposit are complete and duly submitted. Once the formal requirements are satisfied, the deposit certificate is issued. According to the Directorate, the certificate is generally issued within 3 to 15 days for complete applications. It was also confirmed that a copyright deposit remains valid indefinitely and is not subject to renewal or annual maintenance fees; however, the current practical timeframe is 3 to 15 days, although this remains an administrative estimate rather than a legally binding deadline and should be reconfirmed for each filing.

2. Term of copyright and neighbouring-rights protection

Copyright protection begins automatically upon creation of a qualifying original work and is unaffected by whether the work is deposited. The applicable economic-rights term depends on the type and ownership structure of the work. Authors’ moral rights are perpetual, non-prescribable, and inalienable under Article 5. Performers receive corresponding perpetual moral rights under Article 14.

(In the attached document, I have provided that there are only 5 types of work or rights)

(I have added a column for definitions of confusing types of work)

Type of work or right	Definition	Term of economic rights	Term of moral rights	Legal basis
Literary and artistic works generally, including written works, software, musical works, drawings, graphic designs, photographs, maps and derivative works	Works expressed in writing or language, including books, articles, novels, poems, research papers, lectures, speeches, and other written or verbal literary creations.	Author’s lifetime plus 70 years, beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the year of death, except where other provision is made in this subsection.	Perpetual, non-prescribable and inalienable	Articles 2, 5 and 37
Logo protected as a drawing, graphic design or other artistic work	Artistic works created through visual expression using techniques such as drawing, painting, illustration, or similar methods.	Author’s lifetime plus 70 years, beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the year of death	Perpetual, non-prescribable and inalienable	Articles 2(7), 5 and 37
Joint work	A work created with the participation of more than one author, whether or not each individual contribution can be distinguished from the others, and which cannot be classified as a collective work	Throughout the lives of all co-authors and for 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the death of the last surviving co-author	Perpetual for each author	Articles 5, 14 and 38
Audiovisual works	Any work made up of a sequence of interconnected images which gives the impression of movement, whether or not accompanied by sound	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication; if not lawfully published within 50 years after creation, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following creation	Perpetual moral rights attach to the relevant authors; the producer represents the authors, except authors of musical works, in exploiting the rights unless otherwise agreed in writing	Articles 5, 35 and 39
Collective works	A work created with the participation of more than one author, at the initiative and under the guidance of a natural or juridical person who pledges to publish it in his name, and in which the contribution of each author is assimilated into achieving the overall goal sought by that person	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication; if not lawfully published within 50 years after creation, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following creation	Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the person that initiates, directs and publishes the collective work in its name owns the moral and economic rights	Articles 5, 33 and 39
Anonymous or pseudonymous works	Works published without identifying the author or under a pseudonym are protected under Bahrain copyright law. Where the author’s identity is not revealed	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication; if not lawfully published within 50 years after creation, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following creation. If the author becomes known or reveals identity during the term, Articles 37 or 38 apply, as appropriate	Perpetual under Article 5; until identity is revealed or proved, the named publisher may act as the author’s representative under Article 31(2)(b), subject to the statutory pseudonym exception	Articles 5, 31(2)(b) and 40
Works of applied art, potentially including a logo embodied in packaging, products or commercial articles	Artistic creations incorporated into functional or industrial products, where the artistic element has creative character.	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication; if not lawfully published within 50 years after creation, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following creation	Perpetual, non-prescribable and inalienable	Articles 5 and 41
Performers’ rights	Actors, singers, musicians, dancers and other parties who act, sing, recite, chant, or in any way perform any of the following: (a) Works, whether protected or unprotected by the provisions of this Law, or which have passed into the public domain due to the expiry of the period of protection	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication of the recorded performance; if not lawfully published within 50 years after the performance, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the performance	Performer’s attribution and integrity rights are perpetual, non-prescribable and inalienable	Articles 14 and 42
Producers of phonograms	The natural or juridical persons who, on their own initiative and responsibility, first fix sounds or first fix any representation of those sounds	70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following first lawful publication of the phonogram; if not lawfully published within 50 years after it was made, 70 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the year it was made	No separate moral right is expressly granted	Articles 16 and 43
Broadcasting organizations	Entities responsible for transmitting radio or television broadcasts to the public. Their neighbouring rights protect the broadcast signals and the organisation’s investment in creating and transmitting the broadcast.	20 years beginning on the first day of the calendar year following the year of first transmission	No separate moral right is expressly granted	Articles 17 and 44

Who may apply for copyright protection in Bahrain

Article 13 refers to the “rightful party.” A deposit may therefore be filed by:

the author;
the owner of the economic rights (or copyright owner)
a successor in title or assignee
a natural or legal person to whom rights belong under an employment, commissioning or other agreement or
an authorized representative acting under the power of attorney.

Where the applicant is a company and the work was created by an individual designer, author, employee or contractor, the filing should include evidence establishing the company’s title. Article 36 may vest economic rights in the owner or commissioning party where the work results from a contract or obligation involving full dedication of effort, unless otherwise agreed in writing. A clear written assignment or agreement remains advisable, particularly for foreign applicants and commissioned logos.

Foreign applicants

Foreign-owned works may qualify for copyright protection in Bahrain under both the national legal framework and Bahrain’s international treaty obligations. While a historical government response to WIPO indicated that foreign applicants without legal residence in Bahrain could not register or record works, no current published legislation or official guidance confirming this restriction was identified. During a recent meeting with the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration, Kingdom of Bahrain, the Directorate confirmed that foreign applicants, including those without residence in Bahrain, are permitted to file applications for the deposit and registration of their copyrighted works. The Directorate explained that this approach is consistent with Bahrain’s obligations under the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which establishes the principle of national treatment, requiring member states to afford authors from other member countries the same protection granted to their own nationals. Accordingly, foreign applicants may file copyright deposit applications without establishing residency in Bahrain. Nevertheless, documentary requirements, including powers of attorney, corporate evidence, chain-of-title documents, authentication or legalization formalities, and certified Arabic translations, may still apply depending on the circumstances of the filing and should be confirmed with the Directorate on a case-by-case basis.

Although direct filing is permitted, it is recommended that applicants file through a licensed lawyer or authorized agent to facilitate communication and follow-up with the Ministry.

Process for filing copyright deposits in Bahrain

The Ministry has issued internal administrative decisions establishing a temporary filing procedure pending the launch of the electronic copyright registration system.

Electronic Copyright Portal

The Ministry is currently developing an electronic portal for copyright registration.
The portal is expected to become operational by the end of October.
Once launched, all copyright applications and related procedures will be submitted and processed electronically through the portal.

Temporary Filing Procedure

Until the electronic portal becomes operational:

All copyright applications must be submitted by email. Ms. Mariam Al Omran has been designated as the officer responsible for receiving and processing copyright applications.

Email: mariam.alomran@info.gov.bh

Accordingly, the temporary filing process may be summarized as follows:

Classification of the copyright work and preparation of the application – The work is classified according to its nature, such as a written work, artistic work, work of applied art, photograph, audiovisual work, musical work, sound recording, software or database. Before filing, an email should be sent to Ms. Mariam Al Omran with A soft copy/PDF of the copyrighted work to confirm the specific documentary requirements, including any authentication or legalization formalities applicable to the relevant category of work. The application, together with a copy of the work, the applicant’s details, and the documents evidencing ownership, should then be prepared.
Filing of the copyright deposit application – The application is submitted electronically through email to the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration through the responsible officer’s email (mariam.alomran@info.gov.bh). Upon submission, the Directorate provides within three working days a dedicated electronic link through which the applicant may monitor the status of the application. The filing should include the application form, a copy or representation of the work, and any supporting documents, translations, and applicable official fees confirmed by the Directorate..
Formal examination – The Directorate conducts a formal examination of the application to verify the category of the copyrighted work; the completeness of the required documents; and any supporting evidence of use, where applicable. If additional documents or actions are required, the applicant will be notified during this period. This examination is limited to the formal completeness of the application and does not extend to a substantive assessment of the work. This procedure reflects the Directorate’s current administrative practice rather than an express statutory requirement.
Acceptance and entry in the copyright register – Once the application satisfies the applicable formal requirements, the work is deposited and entered in the copyright register maintained under Article 13.
Issuance of the deposit or registration certificate – Article 13 provides for registration/deposit, but I could not identify a publicly available provision expressly stating that a “certificate” must be issued. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration has confirmed that, upon successful completion of the formal examination and acceptance of the application, an official deposit certificate is issued as part of its administrative practice..
Timeframes – Neither the Copyright Law nor the published implementing legislation prescribes statutory time limits for examining copyright deposit applications or issuing the deposit certificate. However, the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration has confirmed that, in practice, the examination process and issuance of the deposit certificate are generally completed within 3 to 15 days, provided that the application is complete and all required documents have been duly submitted.
Publication – The Ministry is not responsible for publishing the copyrighted work. Publication remains the responsibility of: the copyright owner; or the publishing house responsible for the work.

Article 13 contemplates that a ministerial decision would regulate these procedural matters. However, no such ministerial decision appears to have been published. Accordingly, in practice, these procedures are administered in accordance with the Ministry of Information’s internal regulations and administrative practices.

General documents required

Status of this checklist: A historical Bahrain government response to WIPO identified a completed form, identification or commercial-registration evidence, a copy of the work, the fee and a power of attorney where the applicant differs from the owner. However, during a recent meeting with the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration, the Directorate clarified that the applicant should initially submit a soft copy (PDF) of the work, together with the available supporting documents corresponding to the nature of the work. If the filing relates to a specific type of request or category of work, an email should first be sent to the officer responsible, Ms. Mariam Al Omran, to identify the exact documentary requirements applicable to that particular filing. Accordingly, any additional authentication, legalization, or certified Arabic translation requirements should be confirmed with the Directorate on a case-by-case basis before submission. All the required documents are submitted in soft copy; however, the Ministry may request a copy of the original documents for verification.

Document	Authentication status	Deadline	Notes
Completed copyright deposit application	Submitted electronically to the Ministry of Information – Directorate of Media Administration through the responsible officer’s email (mariam.alomran@info.gov.bh).	At filing	The form should identify the applicant, author, work and basis of ownership. Confirm the current Ministry form, language and submission method.
Power of attorney	– Notarized for nationals and GCC residents. – Apostille or legalized for foreigners	At filing	Should authorize copyright deposit and related representation before the Ministry of Information.
Identification document of each author	Simple copy	At filing	Identification was included in the historical official checklist. Identification documents must be provided for each author, and the Ministry may request the original documents for verification during the examination process.
Identification of an individual applicant or authorized signatory	Simple copy	At filing	Passport or national ID may be requested for the individual applicant or company signatory; confirm the current scope.
Corporate documents where the applicant is a company	– Notarized for nationals and GCC residents. – Apostille or legalized for foreigners	At filing	Certificate of incorporation, commercial registration or equivalent evidence of legal existence and signatory authority may be required.
Assignment or chain-of-title document where the applicant is not the individual author	– Notarized for nationals and GCC residents. – Apostille or legalized for foreigners	At filing	Copyright assignment, commissioning agreement, employment agreement, succession document or other evidence establishing ownership.
Complete copy or representation of the work	A soft copy/PDF	At filing	A copy of the work must be submitted. The required file format, medium of submission, and the number of copies depend on the nature of the work. These requirements should be confirmed with the Ministry prior to filing.
Arabic translations of foreign-language documents	Certified Translation	At filing	The translation should be certified, regarding documents that must be translated into Arabic should be confirmed with the Ministry prior to filing

Information required

A. Applicant information

Full legal name and applicant type (individual or legal)
Nationality or country of incorporation.
Legal status and corporate form, where applicable
Registered and correspondence addresses.
Telephone number and email address.
Commercial-registration or incorporation number, where applicable.
Name, title and authority of the signatory.
Basis on which the applicant owns the copyright (e.g., author, assignee, successor, employer, or other rights holder).

B. Author information

Full legal name, nationality and address.
Passport or national-identification number.
Role in creating the work.
Whether the work was created independently, in employment, under commission or jointly.
Details of all co-authors and their respective contributions.
Whether the author retained any economic rights.

C. Ownership information

Whether the author and applicant are the same person.
Basis and date of acquisition of economic rights, where the applicant is not the author.
Date and parties to any assignment, commissioning or employment agreement.
Scope of the transfer, including rights, territory, duration and authority to deposit the work.
Details of any previous transfer, licence, security interest or other transaction.

D. Information concerning the work

Title and category of the work.
Brief description and language, where applicable.
Date and place of creation or completion.
Whether the work has been published or disclosed.
Date and country of first publication, if applicable.
Publisher or producer details, if applicable.
Details of any previous deposit or registration.
Details of prior versions and pre-existing material.
Confirmation that any third-party material is authorized.

E. Filing-specific information

Whether the work is filed in colour, black and white, or both.
Whether different versions are intended to be covered.
Requested confidentiality and the Ministry’s handling arrangements for deposited material, to be confirmed before sensitive content is submitted.
Whether a certified or authenticated certificate is required.
Details of the local representative.

Additional requirements by type of work

The category-specific lists below are suggested supporting materials for preparing a complete and defensible filing. They have not been verified as official category-by-category Ministry requirements. The historical Bahrain response to WIPO stated that the same registration or recordation process applied across different types of works and related-rights subject matter.

1. Logos, graphic designs, drawings and two-dimensional artistic works

a clear, high-resolution colour reproduction of the final work;
a black-and-white reproduction where the applicant also wishes to identify a monochrome version;
the title or name assigned to the work;
a brief description of the visual elements and composition;
dimensions or proportions, where relevant;
the designer’s details;
the date and place of creation;
the date and place of first publication or use, if any; and
the agreement or other document establishing the applicant’s ownership where the applicant is not the designer.

Practical note: Only the final version intended to be covered should ordinarily be submitted. Materially different versions may be treated as separate works or deposits.

2. Applied-art works, product designs, packaging artwork, architecture and three-dimensional works

colour photographs or renderings showing the complete work;
images from sufficient angles to show all material features;
technical drawings, elevations or plans where relevant;
a written explanation identifying the artistic, rather than purely functional, elements;
dimensions and materials, where applicable; and
details identifying the designer and rights owner.

3. Written and literary works

the complete manuscript or final written work;
a title page identifying the work and author;
number of pages and language;
publication details, if published;
publisher and printer details, where applicable;
edition number and completion date; and
details of the original work and translator if the work is a translation.

4. Photographic works

high-resolution copies of the photographs;
a title or identifying number for each photograph;
photographer details;
date and location of creation;
publication details, where applicable; and
assignment or employment documentation where the applicant is not the photographer.

5. Musical works and lyrics

the musical score;
lyrics, where applicable;
an audio recording;
names and roles of the composer, lyricist, arranger and performers;
date of composition and recording;
publisher or producer details; and
agreements establishing ownership of the relevant rights.

6. Sound recordings

the complete audio recording in the accepted medium;
title and duration;
recording date;
producer and performer details;
details of the underlying musical or literary works; and
producer, performer and author agreements or permissions.

7. Audiovisual and cinematographic works

a complete copy of the audiovisual work;
title, duration and language;
script or screenplay;
production and publication details;
credits identifying the relevant contributors; and
agreements establishing the producer’s ownership or authorization.

8. Computer programs and databases

identification and description of the program or database;
version number and completion date;
technical description and principal functions;
only the software, source-code extract or other technical material specifically requested or accepted by the Ministry; do not submit complete confidential source code until the required scope, medium and confidentiality arrangements are confirmed in writing;
screenshots and user documentation, where relevant;
database structure and selection or arrangement information;
developer details; and
employment, development or assignment agreements establishing ownership.

Official Fees

At the filing stage, no official fees are payable.

If the application is accepted, the Ministry will issue:

an Acceptance Notice; and

an order to settle the registration fees of BHD 25, electronically.

Additional Fees:

According to the Ministry’s current administrative practice, the registration fee generally ranges from BHD 500 to BHD 2,000, depending on factors such as the type of work, the required storage capacity, the number of email accounts or related technical specifications, and any additional requirements. Applicants may be requested to provide further details regarding the work to enable the Ministry to determine the applicable fee.

Payment methods include:

Payment may be made through:

BenefitPay (for local payments); or
Bank transfer (IBAN) (for payments made from outside Bahrain).

Objections and Appeals

The applicable legislation and current administrative practice do not provide a formal administrative objection or appeal procedure against the issuance of a copyright registration (deposit) certificate.

Where a dispute arises regarding ownership, validity, or infringement of copyright, the available remedies include:

Submitting a complaint to the Inspection Department of the Ministry of Information, which is responsible for monitoring compliance with copyright legislation; and/or

Initiating proceedings before the competent Bahraini courts.

Following the submission of a complaint, the Ministry may assign an inspector to conduct an inspection and prepare an official inspection report (إثبات حالة), documenting the factual circumstances observed. Such report may serve as supporting evidence in subsequent judicial proceedings but does not constitute a final determination of the parties’ rights.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement is generally assessed by comparing the protected work with the allegedly infringing work to determine whether substantial similarities exist.

Evidence submitted in support of an infringement claim may include:

Copies of the original copyrighted work;
Copies of the allegedly infringing work;
Digital or electronic evidence;
Documentary evidence demonstrating ownership, creation, publication, or use; and
Any other relevant supporting materials.

Where criminal infringement is alleged, a complaint may be filed with the Public Prosecution, which may appoint a specialized expert to examine the works and prepare a technical report assessing the extent of similarity before deciding whether to proceed with the criminal investigation.

Practical Enforcement Considerations

As a practical matter, copyright enforcement is generally more effective where the protected work has been commercially exploited, published, or otherwise made available to the public, as evidence of ownership, use, and infringement is often easier to establish.

Where a work has never been commercially used, published, or publicly disclosed, detecting and proving infringement may be more challenging. Although copyright protection subsists regardless of commercial exploitation, the absence of public use may present practical evidentiary difficulties during enforcement proceedings.

Important procedural qualification

Bahrain has a clear statutory basis for voluntary copyright deposit. As of 30 July 2026, the public sources reviewed did not reveal a comprehensive current online Ministry manual, unified application form, category-specific filing specifications or current public fee schedule. This search result does not prove that no internal, counter-service or separately issued instructions exist. The procedural information in this guide therefore combines the applicable legislation, WIPO’s identification of the competent authority, a historical Bahrain government response to WIPO and recent local filing experience. Applicant eligibility, filing route, current form, power-of-attorney and chain-of-title formalities, apostille or legalization, Arabic translations, work-copy format and quantity, confidentiality, official fees and processing periods should be reconfirmed in writing with the Directorate of Media Administration for each filing.

Official and supporting online sources

BAHRAIN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GUIDE

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