The Saudi Court of Appeals has unanimously decided that trademarks including representations of living creatures do not contradict with Islamic laws and public morality in Saudi Arabia. This is a historical moment in IP litigation in this country.
It has long been established that Saudi courts support the opposition actions raised by the General Presidency for the Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vices (GPPVPV) against trademarks consisting of representations of living creatures. The GPPVPV is a religious organization that takes the role of watching any violations of Islamic rules in the local community. In the past, GPPVPV has never lost any opposition case if based on violations of Islamic rules. This is true especially when it comes to pictures or drawings of living creatures.
With this unanimous decision made by the Board of the Court of Appeals, all pending opposition cases raised by the GPPVPV are now expected to be refused. Once the oppositions are refused, the Trademark Office will be able to continue the normal registration procedures by issuing the registration certificate.
The move is seen as part of the Kingdom's effort to become a member of the WTO and to start improving the protection given to IP rights in Saudi Arabia.