Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) Joins WIPO Digital Access Service (DAS)

RIYADH - Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) has announced that Saudi Arabia has become the first Middle Eastern IP office to join the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Digital Access Service (DAS).

The WIPO Digital Access Service (DAS) is a secure electronic system for exchanging priority and similar documents between participating IP offices. This system enables applicants and offices to fulfill the certification requirements of the Paris Convention in an electronic environment.

Traditionally, applicants have been required to request certified paper copies of documents from one office and then submit them to other offices. However, with the WIPO DAS, applicants can request the Depositing Office (or Office of First Filing) to make priority documents available to the system and then request other offices (known as the Accessing Offices or Offices of Second Filing) to retrieve the documents electronically.

This new system eliminates the need for paper copies and streamlines the exchange of documents between offices. By joining the WIPO DAS, Saudi Arabia is taking a step towards digitizing its IP processes and becoming more efficient in the protection and management of intellectual property.