Trademark renewals and recordals are expected to be filed online in Saudi Arabia by mid-October.
There have been a number of unconfirmed reports claiming that, effective mid-October, the renewal and recordal of trademarks will only be filed online. The move to electronic filing of trademark registrations back in late 2013 saw a substantial increase in publication fees. Accordingly we expect that this time around as well that the move to e-filing will be coupled with an increase in publication fees related to the trademark renewals and recordal of assignments, licenses and mergers. We do not foresee a change in the fees for the recordal of change of name and address.
As per the Saudi trademark law a trademark may be renewed up to one Hijri year (approx. 354 days) before the renewal due date. Accordingly we recommend that you apply for any renewals that fall due before October 2016 ahead of the expected increase in publication fees. We would also recommend that you file for trademark recordals before the middle of October to also benefit from the lower publication fees.
Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com