Law: Law of Amendment of Certain Provisions of GCC Patents Law.
Effective as of: 1 November 2021.
Summary: The GCC patent office is no longer as we knew it. In January 2021, the GCC patent office stopped accepting new applications and the GCC patent regulation was amended to align with its new working model. Since then, the amended GCC patent regulation and its implementing regulations have published and confirmed the new patent ‘outsourcing’ model. The new working model is a positive step towards creating a stronger and more harmonised patent system in the region.
The main takeaways:
- GCC patent applications are no more. Applicants now need to file six separate national applications at the individual patent offices to obtain GCC patent protection.
- Patent offices can now outsource the handling of patent applications from filing to grant to the GCC patent office and benefit from reduced official filing fees.
- This patent ‘outsourcing’ arrangement means that the GCC Patent Office will no longer receive and grant applications independently of the national offices, avoiding the issues of double patenting.
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