Requirements

GCC Industrial designs

There is no cooperation treaty for design protection in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). Therefore, applicants seeking protection in the GCC should file national applications in each country individually. Refer to details for below countries:

  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • KSA - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Oman 
  • UAE - United Arab Emirates

GCC Patent Process

Patent Registration: 

  • The patent registration process takes 4-5 years.
  • After filing the application, the application is put on hold for 3 months until all required documents and information are fulfilled.
  • After 3 months from the filing date, the application will formally be examined to check if all the required documents were submitted and will issue a decision of:
    • Incomplete formalities: the Examiner will give the applicant 90 days from the official notification date to fulfill all requirements, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
    • Complete formalities: the Examiner will give the applicant 90 days from the official notification date to settle the substantive examination fees, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • Once the application is substantively examined, the Examiner will issue a decision of:
    • Complete or amend the application: the applicant has 90 days from the official notification date to comply with any amendment requested, otherwise application will be rejected. The Examiner will examine the application for a second time and give the applicant additional 90 days from the official notification date to comply with any amendment not fulfilled yet, otherwise application will be rejected.
    • Reject the application: if the requirements were not met or the patent is non-registrable after the third examination of the application. The decision will be published and the applicant will be given 90 days from the date of publication to appeal the decision before the Appeal Committee.
    • Accept the application: the applicant has to settle the publication and registration fees to publish the application in the official gazette within 90 days from the official notification date; otherwise the application will be rejected.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the said application within 90 days from the date of publication.
  • If the application passes the publication period successfully, the certificate of registration will be issued.
  • The protection period of a patent is 20 years, from the filing date of the PCT application, or the national patent application based on Paris Convention.

 

Patent Annuities: 

  • A patent is protected for 20 years from the filing date.
  • Annuities should be settled at the beginning of each year starting from the second year of filing the national application according to Paris Convention until the termination of the patent protection duration.
  • A 3 months grace period is granted to settle the annuities without late penalty fees. However, an additional 3 months grace period is granted subject to late penalty fees if the applicant fails to settle the annuity within the first grace period.

GCC Trademarks Process

While the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries implement the GCC trademark law,  there is no cooperation treaty for trademark protection in the GCC. Therefore, applicants seeking protection in the GCC should file national applications in each country individually. Refer to details for below countries:

  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • KSA - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Oman 
  • UAE - United Arab Emirates

Iraq Design Process

One application can cover only one design. 
The process from filing to issuance of certificate is for a period of 3 to 4 years. 
Annuities are settled annualy
The design registration is valid for 7 years. 
No renewal.

Iraq Patents Process

Patent Registration: 

  • The patent filing process takes 1 year.
  • After filing and within 6 month the examiner will check if the application meets all formal requirements.
  • It is a filing System, therefore till now no substantive examination, after the acceptance the publication fees should be paid and the certificate will be issued accordingly.
  • The protection period of a patent is 15 years, from the filing date, or the national patent application based on Paris Convention.

 

Patent Annuities: 

  • A patent is protected for 15 years from the filing date.
  • Annuities should be settled prior to the anniversary of the filing date of a national application.
  • The applicant should settle the annuity starting from the second year of filing the national application according to Paris Convention.

Iraq Trademarks Process

Trademark Registration: 

  • The registration process takes 24-36 months to be completed.
  • A trademark application should undergo preliminary examination prior to filing the application:
    • A separate examination application should be filed for each class.
    • The preliminary examination takes 6-12 months for the TMO to issue a decision to either:
      • Accept the application, you have 30 days from the official notification date to proceed with settling the filing fees to acquire a filing number and date. It is worth mentioning that a single filing application may include multiple classes and subclasses.
      • Conditionally accept the application, you may comply with the said conditions or appeal the decision within a period of 30 days from the official notification date, however you have to proceed with settling the filing fees first to acquire a filing number and date for the trademark application, then comply with the said conditions or file an appeal before court.
      • Reject the application, you have 30 days from the official notification date to proceed with settling the filing fees first to acquire a filing number and date, then appeal the decision before court.
    • Failing to settle the filing fees within 30 days from the official notification date renders the preliminary examination application withdrawn and the said application should be re-filed.
  • When the filing application is accepted, the publication receipt will be issued with 3-4 months.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the publication of the trademark application within 90 days from the date of publication in the official gazette. The applicant has 30 days from date of official notification to file a reply to the opposition, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • The certificate of registration will be issued within 10-12 months from the date of settlement of registration fees.
  • The trademark's registration is valid for 10 Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for similar consecutive periods.

Trademark Renewal: 

  • The renewal process takes 6-12 months to be completed.
  • A single filing application may include multiple classes and subclasses.
  • The renewal application should be filed within the year prior to the expiry of the valid protection period.
  • A 6 months grace period is granted for filing late renewal, subject to late penalty fees.
  • After recording the renewal in the TMO database, you may proceed with settling the publication fees to publish the renewal in the official gazette and the renewal certificate will be issued within few months.
  • The publication in the official gazette is for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.
  • The trademark renewal is valid for another 10 Gregorian consecutive years starting from the expiry of the previous protection period.

Trademark Change of Name and/or Address: 

  • The recordal of change process takes 6-12 months to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each trademark.
  • A change of agent should be filed and published in the official gazette in order to ensure formality requirements are met.
  • The publication and change fees should be settled upon filing the change application, and the certificate of change will be issued within few months.
  • The publication in the official gazette is for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.

Trademark Assignment: 

  • The recordal of the assignment takes 6-12 month to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each trademark. 
  • A change of agent should be filed and published in the official gazette in order to ensure formality requirements are met. 
  • The publication and assignment fees should be settled upon filing the assignment application, and the certificate of assignment will be issued within few months.
  • The publication in the official gazette is for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.

Jordan Design Process

Design Registration: 

  • The registration process takes 6-9 months to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each class.
  • The application will be examined by the IDO within a period of 1 month. After the end of the examination period, the IDO will issue a decision to either:
    • Accept the application, the publication fees should be settled within 60 days from the official notification date to publish the design in the official gazette, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
    • Reject the application, you may appeal the decision within a period of 60 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application would be considered withdrawn.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the publication of the application within 90 days from the date of publication in the official gazette. The applicant has 30 days from official notification date to file a reply to the opposition, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • The certificate of registration will be issued within 1-2 months from the date of settlement of registration fees.
  • The design’s registration is valid for 15 Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and non-renewable.

Design Renewal: 

  • NA – Non-renewable

Design Annuity: 

  • NA – No Annuities

Jordan Patents Process

Patent Registration: 

  • Once filed, the application will be formally examined to check if all the required documents were submitted and will issue a decision of:
    • Incomplete formalities: the Examiner will give the applicant 60 days from the official notification date to fulfill all requirements, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn. the period is extendable upon applicant’s request.
    • Complete formalities: the Examiner will give the application a filing number and date and ask the applicant to settle the substantive examination fees within 60 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • Once the application is substantively examined, the Examiner will issue a decision of:
    • Modify the application: the applicant has to amend the application as requested within a period specified by the Examiner.
    • Reject the application: if the requirements were not met or the patent is non-registrable.
    • Accept the application: the applicant has to settle the publication fees to publish the application in the official gazette within 60 days from the official notification date; otherwise the application will lapse. The PTO will publish the application within 1 year or more.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the said application within 90 days from the date of publication. The publication period can be extended upon the request on any interested third party. The applicant has 30 days from the official notification date to reply to the opposition.
  • If the application passes the publication period successfully, the registration fees should be settled to issue the certificate of registration.
  • The protection period of a patent is 20 years, from the filing date of the PCT application, or the national patent application based on Paris Convention.

 

Patent Annuities: 

  • A patent is protected for 20 years from the filing date.
  • Annuities should be settled prior to the anniversary of the filing date of a national application or a PCT international application until the termination of the patent protection duration. For example: if the patent was filed on 30 January, then the annuity should be settled every year prior to 30 January.
  • The applicant should settle the annuity starting from the second year of filing the national application according to Paris Convention.
  • A 6 months grace period is granted to settle the annuities subject to late penalty fees.

Jordan Trademarks Process

Trademark Registration: 

  • The registration process takes 15-18 months to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each class.
  • The application will be examined by the TMO within a period of 9 to 11 months. After the end of the examination period, the TMO will allocate a filing number for the said application and issue a decision to either:
    • Accept the application, the publication fees should be settled within 30 days from the official notification date to publish the mark in the official gazette, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn. It is worth mentioning that the official publication fees depend on the length of list of goods/services.
    • Conditionally accept the application, you may appeal the decision or comply with the said conditions within a period of 30 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application would be considered withdrawn.
    • Reject the application, you may appeal the decision within a period of 30 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application would be considered withdrawn.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the publication of the trademark application within 90 days from the date of publication in the official gazette. The applicant has 30 days from official notification date to file a reply to the opposition, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • The certificate of registration will be issued within 1-2 months from the date of settlement of registration fees.
  • The trademark's registration is valid for 10 Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for similar consecutive periods.

Trademark Renewal: 

  • The renewal process takes 1 week to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each class.
  • The renewal application should be filed within the last year of the valid protection period.
  • A 12 months grace period after the expiry of the valid protection period is granted for filing late renewal; however it is subject to late penalty fees.
  • When filing the renewal application, the applicant has to settle the renewal and publication fees on the same day.
  • The renewal certificate will be issued within 1 week from the date of settlement of fees.
  • The renewal certificate will be published in the official gazette for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.
  • The trademark renewal is valid for another 10 Gregorian consecutive years starting from the expiry of the previous protection period.

Trademark Change of Name and/or Address: 

  • The recordal of change process takes 1 week to be completed.
  • A separate application should be filed for each class.
  • A change of agent should be filed in order to ensure formality requirements are met.
  • When filing the change application, the applicant has to settle the change and publication fees on the same day.
  • The TMO will examine the application and issue its official notice of recordal within 1 week from filing.
  • The change will be published in the official gazette for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.

Trademark Assignment: 

  • The recordal of the assignment takes 1 week to be completed.
  • An application should may be filed with multiple marks or classes registered in the name of the applicant. 
  • A change of agent should be filed in order to ensure formality requirements are met. 
  • When filing the assignment application, the applicant has to settle the assignment and publication fees on the same day.
  • The TMO will examine the application and issue its official notice of assignment recordal within 1 week from filing.
  • The publication in the official gazette is for informative purposes only; No one can oppose the said publication.

Kuwait Design Process

Design Registration: 

  • The registration process takes 6 months to be completed.
  • A single application could be filed for 1 to 50 designs as long as they are in the same class.
  • The application will be examined by the IDO within a period of 1-2 months. After the end of the examination period, the IDO will issue a decision to either:
    • Accept the application, the publication fees should be settled within 30 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
    • Reject the application, you may appeal the decision within a period of 30 days from the official notification date, otherwise the application would be considered withdrawn.
  • Any interested third party can oppose the publication of the application within 60 days from the date of publication. The applicant has 30 days from the official notification date to file a reply to the opposition, otherwise the application will be considered withdrawn.
  • The certificate of registration will be after the settlement of registration fees.
  • The design's registration is valid for 10 Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for 5 years.

Design Renewal: 

  • The design registration can be renewed once for 5 years.
  • The renewal application should be filed within the last year of the valid protection period.
  • A 3 months grace period after the expiry of the valid protection period is granted for filing late renewal, however it is subject to late penalty fees.
  • A change of agent should be filed and recorded prior to filing the renewal to ensure formality requirements are met.

Design Annuities:

  • NA – No Annuities

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