The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has acceded to the NICE agreement concerning the international classification of goods and services for the purposes of the registration of marks. The accession was published by WIPO on the 22nd of April and will enter into force on July 22, 2021.
This membership will have a significant impact by promoting the goals of KSA Vision 2030, allowing the country representation in the WIPO Committee of Experts on the Nice Convention as well as allowing a delegate from Saudi Arabia to be represented at WIPO’s Special Union Assembly.
This is one of many actions taken by the Saudi IP Authority to transform the landscape for intellectual property protection in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s entrance to the Nice Agreement is part of the regional advancement of trademark registration systems as KSA has now joined the 88 member countries, including the regional members Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, so that they all have the equal standing and rights in influencing the system’s future growth.
It is encouraging to see the region’s major economies take the lead in developing global trademark practice and facilitating the identification monopolies created by trademark registrations.
With this update, all trademark owners have key questions which we will be inquiring about;
– Will trademark owners with trademark registrations in Saudi Arabia be able to use goods and services freely or will it stay from a selection from a pre-determined list?
– Will there still be restricted goods and services for trademark registrations in Saudi Arabia like class 33, bar and pork related products?
As soon as further clarifications are provided, we will update trademark owners with interests in trademark registrations in Saudi Arabia.
For further information in respect of the above, please reach out to us on ksa@alyafi-ip.com.
