2017 Year in Review: Top IP Stories
28-Dec-2017
Kuwait Starts Accepting e-Trademark Applications:
Kuwait Trademarks Office announced that it has started receiving electronic filing of new trademark applications.
Amended Patent Law Comes into Force in Jordan
Jordan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that the amended Patent Law No. 16 and the amended Patent Law No. 17 of 2017 have been published in the Official Gazette No. 5760, and entered into force in Jordan on June 16, 2017.
European Patent Validation in Tunisia
The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Tunisian National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI) announced that the validation of European patents is possible in Tunisia, as from December 1, 2017.
GCC Trademark Law Comes into Force in Oman
Oman adopted the GCC Trademark Law that came into force in the country as of July 25, 2017.
The GCC Trademark Law, which was published in the Official Gazette No. 1204, comprises 52 articles, outlines the general directives and rulings governing trademark registration, renewal, assignment and cancellation procedures in the GCC countries
India Releases Trade Marks Amendments Rules 2017
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in India has announced that the new amended trademark rules entered into force in India, effective March 6, 2017.
The new Trade Marks Rules simplified the processes, by introducing fewer forms, and gave preference to online filings.
Iraq: Trademarks Published in Three Official Gazettes Issues
Pursuant to the provisions of the Article No. 11 of the Iraqi Trademark Law No. 21 of 1957, the approved trademarks will be published in three consecutive editions of the Official Gazette with one-week interval, noting that the 90-day opposition period will be counted from the publication date of the last issue.
Jordan Joins the PCT
The Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has deposited, on March 9, 2017, its instrument of accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The said
Treaty has entered into force, with respect to Jordan, on June 9, 2017.
.KW Domain Registration Commences in Kuwait
The Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) of Kuwait announced the launch of the registration of domain names under (.kw) country-code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
New Practice for Filing New Trademark Applications in Bahrain
The Industrial Property Office of Bahrain (IPO) set a new practice to file new trademark applications in Bahrain, as it will no more accept the P.O. Box address only for filing new trademark applications in Bahrain. Instead, the complete address of the applicant (building name, number, and street name) should be mentioned in the application form.
Online Issuance of Trademark Registration in UAE
The Trademarks Office of the United Arab Emirates announced recently that the new trademark certificates will be issued electronically for the publication in the official gazettes number 180 onwards. However, the certificates for previous publications will be issued manually from the Trademarks Office.
Qatar Accepts Trademark Applications under Classes 43, 44 and 45 of Nice Classification
The Trademarks Office in Qatar announced that Qatar adopted the international classes 43, 44 and 45 of the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification). TM Office has started accepting trademark applications for services that fall under classes 43, 44 and 45 as of February 12, 2017.
Qatar Launches Online Copyright Applications
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce in Qatar announced that it has recently launched the new service of online copyright applications.
Copyright applications can be submitted on the website of the Qatari Copyrights Office at www.services.mec.gov.qa
Registration of Accented Domain Names Containing Special Characters in Morocco
The National Telecommunication Authority in Morocco announced that accented Domain names containing special characters such as: â, ç, è, é, ê, ë, î, ï, ô, ù, Û, ü became possible in Morocco since March 1st 2017.
Tunisia to Apply E-Filing System
Following the meeting held between the Tunisian Office for Normalization and Industrial Property (INNORPI) and the main agents of patents and trademarks in Tunisia, the E-Filing system for trademarks and patents has been adopted in Tunisia.
Turkey Provides Protection for Unregistered Designs
The new Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (IP Law) has brought many amendments to the protection of Intellectual Property in Turkey, especially the industrial designs.
One of the major amendments to the industrial design’s rights is that the protection of unregistered industrial design became available in Turkey. The protection term of unregistered designs is three years starting from the design’s disclosure date.
Qatar Introduces E-Filing of Trademark Applications
The Qatari Trademarks Office started receiving and processing trademark applications in electronic form. The Trademarks Office announced that it will include all other trademark services to be filed online shortly.
GCC Countries to Apply a New VAT Rate
A New VAT of 5% will be applied in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as from January 1, 2018.
Turkey Issues New Industrial Property Law
The new Industrial Property Law No. 6769 which was adopted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on December 22, 2016, entered into force as from its publication date at the official gazette on January 10, 2017.
AGIP Selected One of the Top 10 Intellectual Property Firms in China
Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) has been selected one of the top 10 Intellectual Property firms in China, and won the Best Trademark Agency of the Year 2017 during a special ceremony by China Intellectual Property Forum.
AGIP is First to File e-Trademark Application in Kuwait
AGIP has become the first IP agent to file an electronic trademark application in Kuwait, following the Kuwait Trademark Office announcement to start receiving electronic filing of new trademark applications.
New Practice for Renewal of TM Applications in Iraq
The Trademark Office of Iraq announced that it will start issuing renewal certificates for trademarks, even if the registration certificates were not issued.
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