Latest news on intellectual property rights in the Middle East

Oman

Oman’s Ministry of Industry and Investment Promotion issued Ministerial Resolution No. 292/2023, canceling 20 government fees provided by the Ministry of Industry and Investment Promotion and individuals, including:

• Official fees for filing trademark applications, renewals, licenses and transfers.
• A copy of the patent certificate after the patent is granted
• You can check the legal status of your trademark once for free to determine the latest legal status of your trademark.

Libya

The Libyan Trademark Office resumed normal operations on May 28, 2023. Since November 2022, the Libyan Trademark Office has only handled intellectual property cases related to Libyan individuals and companies, and has also suspended all intellectual property services for all foreign applicants.

Afghanistan

The legal procedures for trademark renewal in Afghanistan have been simplified. Now, all you need to submit a trademark renewal request is a signed and stamped power of attorney, and you can get an official receipt for the renewal. There is no need to submit a trademark registration to the Afghanistan Trademark Office. Original. However, the Afghanistan Trademark Office will not issue a renewed trademark certificate unless the right holder returns the original trademark.

Saudi Arabia

According to Article 22 of the GCC Trademark Law, before Saudi Arabia files a trademark cancellation lawsuit on the grounds that the trademark has not been used or registered, the petitioner is required to send a warning letter to the trademark registrant through the electronic platform of the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia and inform the trademark registrant that the trademark is not in use or registered. Take revocation action for its trademark, otherwise, the warning letter should be served through a local Saudi law firm. From the time of receipt of the warning letter, the trademark registrant has 15 days to respond. After the 15 days have expired, a trademark revocation lawsuit can be filed.

lebanon

The Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade has resumed processing all intellectual property-related matters starting from the second week of May 2023, following a prolonged strike by its staff and administration. The IPO will prioritize the filing of submitted applications, renewals and deadlines, and the remaining matters will proceed as per the following schedule:

• Every tuesday:
  • This day only applies to all applications related to patents, industrial designs and copyrights.
• every Wednesday:
  • Specializes in handling trademark matters, including new trademark application registration, renewal and filing.
• every Thursday:
  • Receipts and/or certificates for all completed responses to examination opinions will be received every Thursday, depending on the workload of the IP Office.