MANAMA - Beginning October 2008, the Patent Office of Bahrain has started to accept Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications designating Bahrain and entering into the national phase.
The PCT came into force in Bahrain, the 136th contracting state of the Treaty, on March 18, 2007 after three months of depositing its instrument of accession with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on December 18, 2006.
In accordance with the Treaty, when any international application is filed on or after March 18, 2007, Bahrain will automatically be designated, and it will automatically be elected in any demand for international preliminary examination filed in respect of an international application filed on or after the said date. Also, as of that date, nationals and residents of Bahrain are able to file PCT applications.
Pursuant to the Intellectual Property (IP) Law, the time limit to file a PCT application in Bahrain is 30 months from the international PCT application's filing date; or from the priority date, if priority is claimed; where the time limit is non-extendable.
When filing a patent application at the Bahrain Patent Office, certain documents will be required; some of which must be filed with the application where no late filing is permissible; these documents are;
1. An original Power of Attorney signed by an authorized signatory of the applicant. It is not necessary to have the document notarized or legalized.
2. Specifications of the patent in English to include the following:
a) The title of the invention and a summary description of the invention (an abstract).
b) Clear drawings of the patent (if any).
c) The patent claims.
3. In case the applicant is not the inventor, an original deed of assignment between the applicant and the inventor, to be signed by the concerned parties, is required.
4. The name, address and nationality of the applicant and the inventor.
5. A copy of the PCT application as filed mentioning the priority date, if priority is claimed.
The four-month grace period for submitting the above-mentioned documents is non-extendable and failure to meet the deadline will cause the lapse of the application.