Country Data
| Official Name: | The State of Qatar |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Doha |
| Area: | 11,581 sq km |
| Population: | 2,479,995 (2021 estimate) |
| Official Language: | Arabic |
| GDP: | US$ $357.338 billion (PPP, 2020 estimate) |
| Currency: | Qatari riyal (QAR) |
| Work Days: | Sunday – Thursday |
Conventions/ Treaties
- WIPO convention (effective since September 3, 1976)
- Nairobi Treaty (effective since July 23,1983)
- Paris Convention (effective since July 5, 2000)
- WIPO Copyright Treaty (effective since October 28, 2005)
- WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (effective since October 28, 2005)
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (effective since August 3, 2011)
- Budapest Treaty (effective since March 6, 2014)
- TRIPS Agreement/ WTO (effective since April 16, 2016)
- Rome Convention (effective since September 23, 2017)
- Marrakesh VIP Treaty (effective since January 24, 2019)
- Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (effective since April 28, 2020)
- Berne Convention (effective since July 5, 2020)
National Legislation
- Law No. 9 of 2002 on Trademarks, Trade Names, Geographical Indications and Industrial Designs
Basic Information
| Creation of rights: | First-to-file jurisdiction (subject to occasional exceptions) |
|---|---|
| Basis for filing: | Intent to use acceptable – prior use is not a prerequisite. |
| Well-known marks: | Special protection may be available. Nevertheless, local registration of the mark is highly recommended. |
| Types of marks: | Trademarks, Service Marks, Series Marks, Collective Marks |
| Priority: | 6-month priority claim under the Paris Convention |
| Madrid System: | Not available – Qatar is not a member of the Madrid Union |
| Filing system: | Single class (multiple class filing is not available) |
| Classification: | Nice Classification 11th edition Limitation: Registration of marks in respect of “pork meat” in class 29, “alcoholic items” in class 32 and the entire class 33 is not allowed being considered contrary to public policy. In addition, services relating to gambling, bars or nightclubs may not be designated in the trademark applications. |
| Who can be Applicant: | Corporate entities |
| Examination: | On formal, absolute and relative grounds |
| Publication: | In the Official Gazette |
| Opposition period: | 4 months from the date of publication |
| Duration of registration: | 10 years from the filing date – renewable for further periods of 10 years each upon request of the trademark owner within one year preceding the expiry date |
| Renewal grace period: | 6 months, subjected to late renewal penalty fee |
| Use requirement: | A trademark registration becomes vulnerable to cancellation upon the request of an interested party in case of non-use of the mark for a period of 5 consecutive years |
| Registration timeframe (straightforward case): | 10 to 12 months (approximately) |
Search
| Official Search: | Available for i) word marks; and ii) device marks |
|---|---|
| Scope of search: | Includes all applied-for and registered marks |
| Turnaround time: | 5 to 8 working days |
Ways to obtain protection
- Filing of national application with or without priority claim under the Paris Convention
Filling Requirements
New Applications
- Power of Attorney from the applicant, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- A simple copy of Certificate of Incorporation.
- A certified copy of the priority document, if priority is claimed.
Renewal of Registration
- Power of attorney from the trademark owner, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- A simple copy of certificate of registration of the mark.
Change of Name / Address Recordation
- Power of attorney stating the new name/ address of the trademark owner, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- Change of Name / Address document, duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
Assignment Recordation
- Power of attorney from the Assignee, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- Deed of Assignment, signed by both the assignor and the assignee, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- A simple copy of Certificate of Incorporation of the Assignee, if the applicant is a corporate entity
Merger Recordation
- Power of attorney from the surviving entity, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- Merger document, duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
License Recordation
- Powers of attorney from the Licensor and the Licensee, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- License agreement, signed by both parties, duly notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
National Legislation
- Patent Law (promulgated by Decree-Law No. 30 of 2006)
Ways to obtain patent protection:
- National Filing in Qatar
- PCT national phase application
Basic Information
| Claims admissible for: | 1) Process; and 2) Product |
|---|---|
| Novelty requirement: | Absolute |
| Convention priority: | Available (12 months) |
| PCT national phase entry deadline: | 30 months |
| Search: | Not available at the present. |
| Examination: | With respect to form, novelty, inventiveness, industrial applicability |
| Publication: | Post-grant publication |
| Opposition period: | 60 days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette |
| Protection term (patent): | 20 years from the filing date and in case of the PCT national phase applications, from the international filing date. |
| Protection term (utility model): | Not applicable |
| Annuity payment: | Becomes due annually on the anniversary of the filing date. For patents granted under the PCT, annuity payment becomes due on the anniversary of the international filing date |
| Grace period for late annuity payment: | 6 months with a surcharge. |
| Working/ Compulsory License: | If the patent is not fully exploited by the patentee within three years from the date of grant, the patent will be subject to compulsory licensing in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Law. |
| Patent grant timeframe (straightforward case): | 2 to 3 years (approximately) |
Filling Requirements
- Power of Attorney from the applicant, duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- Patent specification, claims, drawings (if any), and abstract in English and Arabic.
- Arabic translation of patent specification, claims, and drawings.
- Certificate of incorporation or excerpt from the commercial register related to the applicant company, duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- Assignment of invention and priority rights, executed by the inventor(s) if the applicant is not the inventor, duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- A duly certified copy of priority document, if priority is claimed (not required for PCT national phase applications).
For PCT national phase application in Qatar, the following items would also be required:
- A copy of International Publication with patent specification, claims, drawings, and abstract;
- A copy of International Search Report and Preliminary Examination Report.
Note: Items 2 and 3 listed above are necessarily required at the time of filing. Items 1, 4, 5, and 6 may be submitted within six months from the fling date. For PCT national phase application, items 7 and 8 are also required to be submitted at the time of filing.
National Legislation
- Law No. 9 of 2002 on Trademarks, Trade Names, Geographical Indications and Industrial Designs
Ways to obtain protection for design:
- National filing in Morocco with or without priority claim under the Paris Convention
Though the Industrial Designs Law No. 10 of 2020 was published in Qatar’s Official Gazette No. 9 dated May 10, 2020, its implementing regulations are yet to be issued. Accordingly, filing of applications for registration of industrial designs in Qatar is still not possible. Until the implementing regulations are issued, publication of cautionary notices in Arabic and English local newspapers may be considered as an option to protect industrial designs.
Through cautionary notices the public may be made aware of the claim of ownership to the industrial design alerting third parties against infringement. Such notices may also have persuasive value in the court in case of infringement. Cautionary notices are recommended to be republished at reasonable intervals as a reminder to the public.
National Legislation
- Law No. 7 of 2002 on the Protection of Copyright and Related Rights
Basic Information
Works protected: The copyright protection under the Bahraini Copyright Law specifically covers: books, pamphlets and other writings; works delivered orally such as lectures, addresses, sermons or similar works such as poems and hymns; dramatic and dramatico-musical works; musical works, whether or not they include accompanying words; choreographic works and pantomimes; audiovisual works; photographic and similar works; works of applied art, whether handicraft or produced on an industrial scale; works of drawing and painting with lines and colors, architecture, sculpture, decorated arts, engravings, sketches, designs and three-dimensional geographic or topographic works; computer programs; derivative works including works of translation, summary, alteration explanation and other modifications; collection of encyclopedias and selections if creative in the selection and arrangement of their subject matter; data bases if creative in the arrangement of selection of their subject matter; Collections of works and expressions of folklore if creative by reason of arrangements or selection of their subject matter.
Exceptions to copyright protection: The following are specifically excluded from copyright protection: laws, legal provisions, administrative decisions, international treaties, official documents or any official translation thereof; daily news and other news of mere informatory nature; ideas, procedures, operational methods, mathematical concepts, principles and mere data.
Duration of copyright: Copyright protection term is 50 years, starting from the first day of the year following the death of the author, in addition to the lifetime of the author.
Registration timeframe: 1 to 2 months (approximately).
Filing Requirements
- Power of Attorney from the applicant – duly legalized up to the Qatari Consulate.
- A written declaration of the ownership of the work by the author or authors.
- Approval of the work by the competent department in the applicant’s country.
- Five copies of the work.
