Saudi Arabian trade mark publication rules changed

News from good friends SMAS Intellectual Property that the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued Ministerial Decision No. 1147 dated 16 October 2012. Their news release reads:

"...the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a new Ministerial Decision No. 1147 dated 16 October 2012; in which Articles 1, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23, 24, 27, 29, 32 & 40 of the Implementing Regulations of Trademark Law have been amended.

The Ministerial Decision amended the method of publication of the trademark application, and all transactions pertinent thereto, including renewal, assignment, pledge, license, cancellation to be on the website of Ministry of Commerce and Industry and/ or any other location specified by the said Ministry instead of the publication of the same in the Saudi Official Gazette.

Further, once the application is accepted the applicant and/or his representative should pay the publication fees within thirty days of the date of acceptance; otherwise the application will be considered abandoned.

The Trademark Office has modified the official publication fees accordingly."

The news release from SMAS does not confirm from when this new regime will come in to effect. 

This part of the Empty Quarter welcomes this news. Publication in the Official Gazette increased the cost of publication for longer specifications and delayed the publication of marks as there was fixed amount of space in each Official Gazette. Any step which reduces the steps to registration of marks is one which is welcomed. Rights holders who have paid additional publication fees in advance may be able to obtain a refund from their local trade mark agent.