info@promarkip.com

Al Qusais, Dubai, UAE

Saudi Arabia

Country Data

Official Name:

   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Capital:

   Riyadh

Area:

  2,149,690 sq km

Population:

   34,783,757 (2021 estimate)

Official Language:

   Arabic

GDP:

   US$ 1.924 trillion (PPP, 2019 estimate)

Currency:

   Saudi Riyal

Work Days:

   Sunday – Thursday

Conventions/ Treaties

  • WIPO convention (effective since June 22, 1995)
  • Berne Convention (effective since March 11, 2004)
  • Paris Convention (effective since March 11, 2004)
  • TRIPS Agreement/ WTO (effective since December 11, 2005)
  • Patent Law Treaty (effective since August 3, 2013)
  • Patent Cooperation Treaty (effective since August 3, 2013)
  • Marrakesh VIP Treaty (effective since February 21, 2019)
  • Locarno Agreement (effective since December 3, 2020)
  • Vienna Agreement (effective since December 3, 2020)
  • Budapest Treaty (effective since January 16, 2021)
  • Strasbourg Agreement (effective since October 16, 2021)
Trademark

National Legislation

  • Trademarks Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council States (Gulf Cooperation Council)

Basic Information

Creation of rights:

First-to-file jurisdiction (subject to occasional exceptions)

Basis for filing:

Intent to use acceptable – prior use is not a prerequisite.

Well-known marks:

Special protection may be available. Nevertheless, local registration of the mark is highly recommended.

Types of marks:

Trademarks, Service marks, Certification marks, Collective marks.

Priority:

6-month priority claim under the Paris Convention.

Madrid System:

Not available – Saudi Arabia is not a member of the Madrid Union.

Filing system:

Single class (multiple class filing is not available)

Classification:

Nice Classification 10th edition.

Who can be Applicant:

(1) Corporate/ business entities and (2) individuals/ natural persons.

Examination:

On formal, absolute and relative grounds.

Publication:

Saudi Gazette (the official gazette)

Opposition period:

60 days from the date of publication.

Duration of registration:

10 Hijri years (approximately 9 years and 8 months of Gregorian calendar) from the filing date – renewable for further periods of 10 Hijri years each upon request of the trademark owner within one year preceding the expiry date.

Renewal grace period:

6 months

Use requirement:

A trademark registration becomes vulnerable to cancellation upon the request of an interested party in case of non-use of the mark for a period of 5 consecutive years.

Registration timeframe:

4 to 5 months (approximately)

Search

Official Search:

Available for i) word marks; and ii) device marks.

Scope of search:

Includes all applied-for and registered marks.

Turnaround time:

3-5 working days.

Ways to Obtain Protection

  • Filing of national application with or without priority claim.

Documentary Requirements

New Applications

  1. Power of Attorney from the applicant – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. A certified copy of the priority document, if priority is claimed.

Renewal of Registration

  1. Power of Attorney from the applicant – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. A simple copy of registration certificate.

Change of Name / Address Recordation

  1. Power of attorney stating the new name/ address of the trademark owner – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. Change of Name document – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  3. The original registration certificate.

Assignment Recordation

  1. Power of attorney from the Assignee – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. Deed of Assignment, duly signed by both the assignor and the assignee – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  3. The original registration certificate.

Merger Recordation

  1. Power of attorney from the surviving entity – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. Merger document – duly Apostilled or legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  3. The original registration certificate.

License Recordation

  1. Powers of attorney from the Licensor and the Licensee – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  2. License agreement, duly signed by both the parties – duly legalized up to the Saudi consulate.
  3. The original registration certificate.