Two years after Law no. 1 of 2004 concerning Patents and Utility Models was promulgated, the Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce issued on May 08, 2006 Resolution no. 54/2006 regarding the regulations implementing the law and the related official fees scale.

Ministerial Resolution no. 54/2006 was published in Official Gazette no. 2738 on May 10, 2006 and have entered into force in the Kingdom the following day.

Below are the salient features of Law no. 1 of 2004 which we reiterate for clarity:

– The Examiner’s decision to grant a patent or utility model will be published in the Official Gazette for opposition by any interested party within sixty days from publication date.
– Once granted, a patent and utility model shall enjoy protection for twenty years from filing date.
– Annuities are due from the beginning of the second year the patent and utility model is granted

According to the implementing regulations, the following documents will be required for filing patents and utility models applications:

1. Power of Attorney
2. Certificate of Incorporation (if applicant is not an individual)
3. Abstract of the invention in English and Arabic
4. Technical specifications of the invention in English and Arabic
5. Certified copy of priority document, if convention priority is claimed

The certificate of incorporation and the priority document may be submitted within three months from filing the patent or utility model application. Also, the Arabic translation of the technical specifications may be submitted within four months from the filing date. The remaining documents must be submitted at the time of filing. The application would be deemed abandoned if the applicant fails to submit the documents as indicated. 

Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@sabaip.com