Trademark renewal rules in the Gulf Countries (GCC)
23-05-10
Trademark renewal rules in the Arabic Gulf
The protection period of the trademark in GCC is ten years, then the trademark becomes due for renewal, and it is renewed every ten years in the last year of the protection period.
And there are six months the owner of the trademark still can renew his trademark but if this period is done and the owner didn’t settle the renewal fees, the concerned entity will cancel the trademark.
The renewal in GCC is done without new examination, and the application published without taking regard to any objection from others.
The countries that are signatories to GCC are UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.
And we will explain in details, the rules for the renewal of trademarks in each country of the GCC.
Trademark Renewals in UAE:
The Ministry of Economy in UAE is the authority responsible for the IP process, including trademark registration and renewals.
The trademarks in UAE become due for renewal every ten years from the filing date, and you have three months as a grace period to settle the renewal fees with the delay fine 1000 AED for each month of delay.
The trademark has to be renewed in due time. The applicant of the trademark can get assistance from a legal firm to help with the process.
The required documents to file the renewal with a legal firm are the POA (Locally legalized) if the applicant is foreign and the registration certificate for the concern mark.
The Renewal process in UAE takes between one and three months to issue the renewal certificate.
Start your trademark renewal in the UAE
Trademark Renewals in Saudi Arabia (KSA):
The Renewal Rules in KSA are not different from the rules in UAE.
The required documents to file the renewal with a legal firm are the POA legalized and a high-resolution colored copy of the trademark registration certificate for the concern mark.
The trademarks in KSA become due for renewal every ten Hijri years from the filing date and have six months as a grace period to settle the renewal fees with the penalty fees.
If the owner of the mark fails to renew the mark within the grace period, the trademark registration will lapse. The Law gives the applicant the right to refile the trademark within three years after the expiry of the protection period, after which, if he does not, then any interested third party can proceed with registering the said mark.
Pro-tip, if the applicant’s name and/or address in the POA is different from that mentioned in the certificate of registration, a change of name and/or address application should be filed before filing the renewal application.
The renewal process in KSA takes around 3-4 days to be completed.
Start your trademark renewal in Saudi Arabia
Trademark Renewals in Kuwait:
To renew a trademark in Kuwait through an IP agent, the TMO requires the following documents: A Notarized and Legalized Power of Attorney (POA) at the Kuwaiti Embassy, a high resolution copy of the trademark’s registration certificate, and a high-resolution copy of the trademark logo.
Also, if the trademark is a wordmark a copy of the wordmark is requested when filing the renewal application.
It is worth mentioning that a change of agent application should be filed before filing the renewal application if the trademark was not registered by the same IP agent.
If the applicant’s details (name and/or address) in the POA are different from that mentioned in the certificate of registration, a change of name and/or address application should be filed before filing the renewal application.
The trademark's protection period is ten Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for similar consecutive periods indefinitely in Kuwait.
The renewal process takes around one week to be completed.
Start your trademark renewal in Kuwait
Trademark Renewals in Qatar:
A trademark's protection period is ten Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for similar consecutive periods indefinitely in Qatar.
To renew a trademark in Qatar through an IP agent, the TMO requires the following documents: A Notarized and Legalized Power of Attorney (POA) at the Qatari Embassy and a simple copy of the trademark’s registration certificate.
It is worth mentioning that a change of agent application should be filed before filing the renewal application if the trademark was registered by a different IP agent.
The renewal application should be filed within the last year of the protection period, after which there is a six months grace period from the expiry date of the valid protection period for filing late renewal, however, it is subject to late penalty fees.
If the owner of the trademark fails to renew the mark within the grace period, the trademark registration will lapse. However, the Law gives the applicant the right to refile the trademark within three years after the expiry of the protection period, after which, if he doesn’t, then any interested third party can proceed with registering the said mark.
The renewal process takes around 1-4 weeks to be completed.
Start your trademark renewal in Qatar
Trademark Renewal Rules in Oman:
Trademarks’ registrations and renewals are filed at the Department of Intellectual Property in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Oman. A trademark's protection period is ten Gregorian years, starting from the filing date, and renewable for similar consecutive periods indefinitely in Oman.
To renew a trademark in Oman through an IP agent, the TMO requires the following documents: A Notarized and Legalized Power of Attorney (POA) at the Omani Embassy and a simple copy of the trademark’s registration certificate.
It is worth mentioning that a change of agent application should be filed before filing the renewal application if the trademark was registered by a different IP agent.
The renewal application should be filed within the last year of the protection period, after which there is a six months grace period from the expiry date of the valid protection period for filing late renewal, however, it is subject to late penalty fees.
If the owner of the trademark fails to renew the mark within the grace period, the trademark registration will lapse. However, the Law gives the applicant the right to refile the trademark within three years after the expiry of the protection period, after which if he doesn’t, then any interested third party can proceed with registering the said mark. The renewal process in Oman takes around 2-3 weeks to be completed.
Start your trademark renewal in Oman
Trademark Renewals in Bahrain:
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism in Bahrain is the authority responsible for the IP process, including trademark registration and renewals.
The required documents to file the renewal with a legal firm are the POA legalized, if the applicant is foreign and a high-resolution colored copy of the trademark registration certificate for the concern mark.
The trademark's registration in Bahrain is valid for ten years starting from the filing date and renewable for similar consecutive periods indefinitely, and you can renew your mark in the last year of the protection. In addition, there is six months grace period after the expiry of the valid protection period granted for filing late renewal; however, it is subject to late penalty fees.
Therefore, if the grace period fills and the owner did not renew his/her mark; the concerned authority has the right to cancel the mark.
The renewal process in Bahrain takes around 10-15 days to be completed.
Start your trademark renewal in Bahrain
Refer to our blogs to read about when to file a renewal, why to file a renewal, how to file a renewal, why to file a renewal, and renewal procedures in the USA and EU.
