Middle East News! New Intellectual Property Regulations in Qatar

Recently, Qatar has made a series of new measures on intellectual property rights, including:

• New Rules for Power of Attorney in Trademark Litigation: Qatar issued an official notice on June 25, 2024, with the following major updates to the power of attorney procedures required for trademark litigation:
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) certification: The power of attorney must be signed and notarized by the right holder. The certification currently needs to be completed locally at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar;
  • Arabic language requirement: For power of attorney in a language other than Arabic, a certified Arabic translation must be submitted along with the original document;
  • Notarization and time limit: If the power of attorney is signed more than 3 years ago, it will need to be authenticated by the Qatari Ministry of Justice.

• Madrid Protocol designation fees and renewal fees:
  • If the trademark registration enters Qatar through the Madrid registration, the national office will charge a separate fee, the specific amount is:
    • Designation fee: CHF 1127.00/category, approximately US$ 1230.00
    • Renewal fee, CHF 876.00/class, approximately US$ 958.00
      This fee will officially take effect on August 3, 2024 .

• Fee reduction:
  • In order to enhance Qatar's competitiveness in the world and stimulate economic activity and development in the country, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar has significantly reduced the patent application fees for inventions and designs, with a maximum fee reduction of up to 90%, aiming to attract investment, promote entrepreneurial efforts and consolidate Qatar's position as a commercial center in the Middle East. The new fees will be implemented after publication in the Gazette and will take effect the next day.