News from good friends Saba & Co in their July 2014 IP
Bulletin that there are new requirements for patent filing in Bahrain. The full
report is available on their website here and is
reproduced for ease of reference here:
The Bahraini Patent Office introduced new requirements for
supporting patent filings, including national and PCT entries that were
implemented on May 1, 2014. The additional requirements are retroactive to
pending applications; with the BPO issuing notices and setting a deadline for
completing the requirements for the pending cases.
Applicants are required to submit the Arabic translation of
the complete specifications as well as a legalized/Apostilled Power of Attorney
for PCT national stage entries. A copy of the international publication and the
complete specifications in English are also required. The documents must be
submitted during a non-extendable three month period from the filing date in
Bahrain. A simple copy of the POA is required at the time of filing until the
legalized original is filed.
In accordance with the new requirements, the BPO began
requesting a signed inventor assignment form, in addition to a simple copy of
the priority document that does not have to be certified, a copy of the PCT
specifications, both having to be in English and Arabic (if different than the
priority and/or the specifications being filed), and in addition a copy of the
International Search Report.
The same deadline of three months applies for the submission
of these supporting documents, whereas four months for the Arabic translation
of the specifications. The requirements also apply to all pending patent
applications in Bahrain.
The table offers a summary of these requirements, including
national applications. This may signify the BPO’s way of indicating that it is
gearing towards beginning the examination and granting process of patent
applications; however there have not been any concrete or official declarations
regarding this.
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