WIPO - PCT Guides - Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria

News from WIPO that these PCT Guides have been updated:

Bahrain - General Information – Annex B (here) - December 2016
Bahrain - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - December 2016
Egypt - International Searching Authorities – Annex D (here) - January 2017
Egypt - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - November 2016
Iran - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - April 2016
Oman - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - November 2016
Qatar -General Information – Annex B (here) - November 2016
Qatar - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - November 2016
Saudi Arabia - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - November 2016
Syria - Receiving Offices – Annex C (here) - November 2016

Jordan - accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty

News from good friends AGIP (by email back in December 2016) that Jordan is to join the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Their announcement reads:

"The Jordanian Council of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Mr. Hani Al-Mulki approved the accession of Jordan to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The Treaty provides procedural facilitations with a 90 percent discount on the submission fees offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to Jordan.

The accession of Jordan to the PCT would benefit both local and foreign applicants, which would contribute to the increase of patent applications submitted to the Directorate of Industrial Property Protection, affiliate of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The Council instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to deposit the accession documents with the Secretary General of WIPO and authorized the permanent representative of the Kingdom in Geneva to sign the treaty."
Followed this month by news from good friends Saba in their January 2017 newsletter (article here) which reads:

"Pursuant to amending the Patents Law in 2016, the Jordanian Council of Ministers approved the accession of Jordan to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Accordingly, the instrument of accession is being prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Supply and will be signed on behalf of the government of Jordan and submitted at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

During the transitional period into becoming a member of the PCT, the Ministry concerned will raise awareness to familiarize all stakeholders with the Treaty. We expect further developments and news in this area that should clarify the direct benefits of Jordan’s upcoming accession to the PCT.

Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com"

WIPO - PCT Guides - Kuwait

News from WIPO that these parts of the PCT Guide for Kuwait have been updated:

General Information – Annex B (here)
National Phase – National Chapters (here)

WIPO - PCT Guides - Qatar

News from WIPO that these parts of the PCT Guide for Qatar have been updated:

General Information – Annex B (here)
National Phase - National Chapters (here)

Oman - PCT e-filing and workshop

A belated report of news from April on the Muscat Daily website of developments in Oman.

The first report (here) states:

"The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has launched an online system for filing patents.

“ePCT or the electronic Patent Cooperation Treaty is a new service that will make the process of filing patents easier. The service was launched on Monday,” said Fatma Abdullah al Ghazali, consultant for external affairs to the Minister of Commerce and Industry.

PCT assists applicants in seeking protection internationally for inventions, helps offices with their patent granting decisions and facilitates public access to technical information relating to those inventions. By filing one single application under PCT, applicants can seek protection for an invention in 148 countries, according to World Intellectual Property

Organization (WIPO). “We are a member of PCT since 2001 but have always depended on the International Bureau of WIPO to submit all applications. From now onwards, we will receive all patent applications with the technical support of WIPO,” she said.

Fatma said that earlier the person or firm had to visit the country he was seeking protection in to file a patent. “It is not possible for all Omanis to go abroad to file patents as it’s an expensive affair. They even had to hire international agents to submit their applications. Now, they can visit our office or submit the patent application on our website.”"

The second report (here) states:

"A two-day workshop on Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) began under the patronage of H E Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed bin Nassir al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education and in the presence of H H Sayyid Dr Fahad bin al Julanda al Said, assistant secretary general for innovation and development of The Research Council (TRC), H E Dr Ali bin Masoud bin Ali al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, on Tuesday.

Organised by TRC in cooperation with other organisations, it is discussing a number of issues including the topic, ‘Patents in the Sultanate of Oman: Current Status, Performance and Statistics’. The workshop coincides with the World Intellectual Property Day that is marked on April 26 every year. Participants are being introduced to basics, contracting states, statistics and main advantages of PCT."

WIPO - PCT Guides - Syria

News from WIPO two weeks ago that this part of the PCT Guide for Syria has been updated:

Receiving Offices - Annex C (here)

Kuwait - accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty

Further to earlier news here and here, news from WIPO (here) that on 9 June 2016 Kuwait deposited its instrument of accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The Treaty will enter in to force in Kuwait on 9 September 2016.

The full announcement reads: 

PCT Notification No. 208
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Accession by the State of Kuwait

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents his compliments to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and has the honor to notify the deposit by the Government of the State of Kuwait, on June 9, 2016, of its instrument of accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), done at Washington on June 19, 1970, amended on September 28, 1979, modified on February 3, 1984, and on October 3, 2001.

The said Treaty will enter into force, with respect to the State of Kuwait, on September 9, 2016.

WIPO - PCT Guides - Oman

News from WIPO today that these parts of the PCT Guides for Oman have been updated:

General Information - Annex B (here)

Receiving Offices - Annex C (here)

Kuwait - joining the PCT

News from good friends Saba & Co (here) and AGIP (here) of progress by Kuwait towards joining the Patent Co-operation Treaty.

Saba reports:

"Barely a year and a half after issuing Law no. 36/2014 paving the way for Kuwait’s accession to the Paris Convention in November 2014, Kuwait’s Council of Ministers voted and published on March 27, 2016 a new law, Law no. 11/2016, which paves the way for the country’s accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Building on its determination to strengthen and enforce its economic growth, Kuwait realizes that a developed and advanced IP system is an important tool in achieving this goal. With the introduction of this Law, the Council empowers and entrusts the Foreign Ministry with depositing its instruments with the WIPO thus ushering a new era of patent procurement in Kuwait. The actual date of accession and the date on which the Treaty will go into force are yet to be determined.

Needless to say, there are a number of questions that remain unanswered at this stage, as it is important to determine if following the implementation of the Law, the Patent Office will introduce and publish new regulations which would provide for local substantive examination and search capabilities to name a couple. Furthermore, it remains uncertain if the Patent Office intends to start granting patents and receiving annuity payments.

We expect these issues to be addressed during the period between the country’s accession and the first deadlines for national stage entries of PCT applications in Kuwait.

Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com"
AGIP reports:

"KUWAIT – Kuwait’s Council of Ministers published the new Law No. 11/2016, which represents a step in the country’s accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Joining the PCT enables Kuwait to register international patents through the national offices of the state members. The PCT system is considered more cost effective than filing separate national or regional applications. However, the published law is effective only after signing the agreement and publishing the implementing regulations."

Kuwait - no more local patent filing

News from good friends Saba & Co (on their website here) that the Kuwaiti Patent Office is no longer accepting patent applications and that all new applications must be filed at the GCC Patent Office. The report reads:

"The Kuwaiti Ministry of Trade and Industry approved Law no. 115 of 2016 on the regulations implementing patent Law no. 71 of 2013. The new Law was published on April 3, 2016 and went into effect the following day.

Accordingly, the Kuwaiti Patent Law and regulations which are in force as of April 4, 2016 are the GCC Patent Law and its Implementing Regulations, respectively. Indeed, Kuwaiti Law no. 71 of 2013 is the GCC Patent Law, while Kuwaiti Law no. 115 of 2016 is the regulations implementing the GCC Patent Law.

Furthermore, the Kuwaiti Patent Office stopped accepting new patent applications as of April 4, 2016. It is advising parties interested in seeking patent protection in Kuwait to utilize the GCC regional patent office. As a reminder, a GCC patent application automatically designates all six GCC member countries, and no further validation is required upon grant.

Given that Kuwait recently issued a law (Law no. 11/2016) paving the way for the country’s accession to the PCT, we expect more news to come out of the country with regards to its patent system.

Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com"

Saudi - amended Implementing Regulations for the Law for Patents relating to PCT applications

Following earlier reports (here and here) of the accession of Saudi Arabia to the PCT, news from good friends SMAS, Saba, and AGIP of the amendments to the implementing regulations relating to the implementation of the PCT in Saudi.

SMAS report in a circular sent by email in January 2016 that:

"King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (The Saudi patent office ) has issued the amended Implementing Regulations of the Law of Patents, Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties, and Industrial Designs, the Regulations included new provisions regarding patent applications filed under the PCT scheme. This came in line with accession of Saudi Arabia to the PCT. The major amendments could be outlined as follows:

• The Saudi patent office became receiving office of international PCT applications.
• The Patent Office shall consider the international filing date of the PCT application as the date of filing the national phase application. 
• The annuity fees for national phase applications shall be based on the international filing date of the PCT application starting from the 1st annuity and shall be paid at the beginning of each Calendar year, starting with the year following the filing of the international application, where the said fees are paid , together with accumulated annuity fees.
• All the formal requirements, including the legalized Power of Attorney, Deed Of Assignment and Priority documents, shall be fulfilled within 60 days from the filing date.
• Correction of priority claim or addition of priority is possible through request submitted to the Patent Office provided that the conditions pertinent thereto, as stipulated by the Regulations, are fulfilled and the prescribed fees are paid .
• Restoration of patent application which was rejected or abandoned due to reasons beyond applicant will, is possible through request submitted to the Patent Office provided the conditions pertinent thereto as detailed by Regulations are fulfilled and the prescribed fees are paid. 
• In case applicant has not been able to comply with the request(s) of the Patent Office within the specified grace period it would be possible to request further two months extension prior to expiry of initial deadline provided the conditions pertinent thereto are fulfilled and the prescribed fees are paid . Annuity fees are exempted from such extension and should be paid within the prescribed grace period.
• Multiple design applications are not acceptable in Saudi Arabia , and a design application should not incorporate more than 7 drawings.

The aforesaid new Implementing Regulations are effective as of 19 December 2015.

Should you need any assistance and/or information in respect of the above matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at saudi@smas-ip.com."
Saba's February newsletter (here) contained this report:

"Saudi Arabia recently published new Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law to include provisions concerning the national stage entry of PCT patent applications. These regulations entered into force starting December 19, 2015.

Revisions to the Implementing Regulations include the possibility of requesting extensions of time during prosecution, and the possibility to restore abandoned or canceled patent applications.

According to the new regulations, the international filing date will be the filing date of a PCT national entry and the base year for calculating annuities. Annuity fees for applications will still be due between January 1 and March 31 of each year, starting with the first payment that will include any back payments the year following the entry date. The usual grace period with a late fee will still apply through June 30 of the same year.

Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com"
AGIP's January newsletter contained this report:

"The Patent office has implemented a new calculation of PCT National Phase annuity years as from January 1, 2016. The new calculation stipulates that the annuity year starts from the international filing date of the corresponding PCT application.

According to the Patent Office, all pending annuities are due for payment during the period from January 1st till March 31st, 2016.

The patent term of the Saudi Patents through PCT applications is 20 years calculated from the international filing date."

WIPO - PCT guides

News from WIPO that these parts of the PCT Guides have been updated:

Receiving Offices – Annex C:
Bahrain (here)
Egypt (here)
Qatar (here)
Saudi Arabia (here)
Syria (here)

International Searching Authorities – Annex D
Egypt (here)

International Preliminary Examining Authorities – Annex E
Egypt (here)

Sudan - WIPO - PCT - National Phase – National Chapter - update

News from WIPO yesterday that the National Chapter of the National Phase of the PCT Applicant's guide for Sudan has been updated. The updated version can be found here. 

WIPO - PCT country guides

This part of the Empty Quarter recently added some further newsletters to a subscription on the WIPO website as part of WIPO changing to a new WIPO e-newsletter platform. As a result this part of the Empty Quarter now knows about the WIPO PCT Applicant's Guide (here) which provides a very large amount of very useful information on Receiving Offices, International Searching Authorities, Supplementary Search, International Preliminary Examining Authorities, Deposits of Biological Material, and National Chapters on the National Phase.

There are entries for the UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan (presumably North), Syria, and Tunisia.

The newsletter from WIPO reports that the National Chapter on Qatar has been updated.

UPDATE: A further newsletter from WIPO received today provides a link to the updated Annex C - Receiving Offices for Qatar which can be found here. 

This part of the Empty Quarter has a firm belief that as much information as possible should be freely available to all and is delighted to see so much information being shared by WIPO.

Saudi Arabia - Patent Cooperation Treaty

News by email newsletter from good friends SMAS in March 2015 that the Saudi Patent Office is now acting as a recipient office for International PCT applications and that the Saudi Patent Office has started receiving National Phase applications under the PCT. SMAS report that the Saudi Patent Office has issued a formal notification that the Saudi Patent Office is accredited as a recipient office for International PCT applications from 1 February 2015. From the same date the Patent Office also started to receive national phase patent applications under the PCT scheme.

SMAS report that the requirements for filing a national phase patent applications are:

1. A Power of Attorney, legalised by the Saudi Consulate.
2. A Deed of Assignment from the inventor(s), legalised by the Saudi Consulate.
3. A copy of the PCT application as published.
4. A certified copy of the priority document, if not already included in the PCT application.
5. Specification, abstract, claims, and drawings.

Saudi Arabia – Patents - accession to PCT and PLT

A WIPO email alert dated 16 May 2013 announces the accession of Saudi Arabia to the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) - Accession by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PLT Notification No. 36) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) - Accession by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PCT Notification No. 203).

More news on this significant change in local practice is expected from a number of sources soon. This part of the Empty Quarter cannot help but wonder when the remaining GCC states and the the GCC Patent Office itself will follow.