SAUDI ARABIA: Increase in official fees

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Trademark Law has the primary objective of unifying the trademark registration systems and procedure of all member states of the GCC: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and United Arab Emirates. This unification, however, does not create a centralized filing procedure nor does it replace the national filing.

Approved by the GCC Supreme Council during its 33th meeting, back in 2012, it has been progressively adapted and implemented by the GCC member states, only now coming into force in Saudi Arabia.

With the application of the GCC Trademark Law the trademark registering procedure shall be changed as follows:

• Official Trademark Registration Fees shall rise from 1870 to 2400 USD.

• Opposition period shall be shortened from 90 to 60 days.

• Oppositions shall be filed with the Higher Committee of the Trademark Office instead of with the court as was the practice until now. Official fees for oppositions and appeals are now available.

These new fees are expected to be applied retroactively in all applications currently awaiting publication and registration.

As stated by the Saudi Royal Decree No. M/51, dated 26th of April, 2014, the GCC Trademark Law's vacatio legis period is 90 days and, as such, it shall come into force in Saudi Arabia after 90 days counting from the publication of the Implementing Regulations, which occurred on July 1st, 2016, in the Official Gazette of Saudi Arabia (Um Al-Qura), issue No. 4625. Applications should be subject to the new fees and regulations by the end of September.