The Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently issued Decision no. 115 of 2011 on the formalities for granting patents in Bahrain. This Ministerial Decision is comprised of six articles that mainly include general conditions for applicants  as well as filing the requirements in support of a patent application. Below are the main features of Decision no. 115 of 2011:

1. Applications should be examined within 60 days from filing date.
2. Patent applications accepted by the Registrar should be published in the Official Gazette.
3. Whenever, on examination, any claim for a patent is rejected, the Patent Office shall notify the applicant, stating the reasons for such rejection.
4. The term of protection starts from filing date or from priority date if priority is claimed.

Ministerial Decision no. 115 of 2011 is now published in the Official Gazette and has entered into force upon publication. For more information, please contact us at info@sabaip.com