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SAUDI ARABIA.

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GOVERNING BODY:


In Saudi Arabia, patents are administered by the Saudi Patent Office (SPO), one of the directorates of Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP); a government body responsible for the protection and supporting of intellectual property rights in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Patent Office (SPO) aims to provide protection for inventions, the layout- designs of integrated circuits, plant varieties and industrial designs in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) was formed under the initiatives of the Trade and Investment System within the National Transformation Program 2020 for the unification of the competent authorities that have direct relation with the protection of the intellectual property rights in the Kingdom, under one umbrella.

FILING OPTIONS:

There are three ways in which a patent can be protected in Saudi Arabia:

1. National Filing at Saudi Patent Office, within 12 months from the priority date (Paris Convention).
2. National Phase Entry of PCT application, within 30 months from the priority date.
3. Through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Patent Office as a GCC Patent, within 12 months from the priority date.

Certificates of Patents granted by the GCC Patent Office secure legal protection of the inventor's rights in all the member states, namely, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

OTHER INFOMATION:


Time Frame: Within 2-3 years from the date of filing (approx.).
Protection period: 20 years from the filing date/ from International filing date for PCT National Phase applications.
Annual fees: Due at the beginning of each calendar year after filing and payable within 3 months (1st January to 31 st March). Annuities of PCT National Phase applications are calculated from the filing date of PCT application.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:



At the Time of Filing:

1. A copy of the specification in English and Arabic in MS word format prepared strictly with the following subheadings:
    i.   The abstract (not exceeding one page);
    ii.  Background of the invention.
    iii. Summary description of the invention.
    iv. Full description of the invention.
    v. Brief description of the drawings, if any.
    vi. Claims.
    vii. Drawings, if any.
2. General Information Required:
    i.   Name and address of the applicant(s).
    ii.  Name and address of the inventor(s).
    iii. Details of the Priority Application(s).
          Filing date.
          Application number.
          Country of filing.

To be submitted within 90 Days of Filing:

1. A Power of Attorney to our Law Firm, executed by the applicant(s), duly notarized and legalized up to the Saudi Consulate.
2. A Deed of Assignment (if applicable) executed by the inventor(s), assigning the patent rights to the applicant, duly notarized and legalized up to the Saudi Consulate.
3. A certified copy of the priority document(s) along with its Arabic translation.

Note:

• For National Phase of PCT applications:
         • Document (2) (Legalized DoA) is not mandatory.
         • Priority document(s) can be obtained from WIPO (PATENTSCOPE) and submitting the same is sufficient.
• Translation (of filing documents) from English to Arabic can be done by our firm.
• We require only e-copies (fully scanned color copies showing the Consulate legalization stamp) of the aforementioned documents 1, 2 and 3. The original documents are not required unless the Saudi Patent Office requests the same for verification purpose.