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Amendments to the GCC Patent Regulation: further updates on interim applications

January 20, 2021
By Raka Roy and Mohammed Koura

The Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office (GCCPO) recently halted some provisions of the Patent Regulation, impacting the filing of patent applications across the region.

Significant change in the filing of patents in the GCC

Following the decision made by the GCC Supreme Council during its 41st meeting on January 5, the GCC Patent Office has now stopped accepting the filing of patent applications: as of January 6, 2021, no further unified patent application for the GCC countries through the GCC Patent Office will be accepted. Patent applicants must now register either:

  1. In accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), as the GCC countries are members of this treaty; Or
  2. The patent application shall be registered in each of the relevant GCC states separately.

Interim measures for recently filed patents

While the amendments to the Patent Law will be enforced by February 4th, patent applications filed since December 10th 2020 onwards are potentially affected. The GCC Patent Office has announced the following interim measures:

  1. Applications filed between December 10, 2020 and January 5, 2021, will be subject to a legal opinion;
  2. Applications filed before December 10, 2020 remain valid.

Impact on businesses

The recent amendments to the Patent Regulation will certainly raise questions around patent filing strategies and budgets for filers across the region and beyond. As we adjust to this new filing process, it is reasonable to expect delays in prosecutions and final grants.

In the current context, the Team at Galadari can assist you on cost and time efficient strategies and your patent filing requirements. For any further info, please contact  clientservice@galadarilaw.com.