Patent registration in Bahrain. Bahrain is a country in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain has one of the fastest-growing economies in the Arab world. Bahrain developed the first post-oil economy in the Persian Gulf, the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors; many of the world’s largest financial institutions have a presence in the country’s capital. It consequently has a high Human Development Index and is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Bahrain.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Bahrain
The necessary documents for patent registration in Bahrain include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s and inventor’s names, addresses, and citizenships, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- Priority documents (if any);
- Other required documents.
The term for filing a patent application claiming conventional priority is 12 months from the priority date. The restoration of this term is not possible.
The official language of patent applications in Bahrain is Arabic. However, it is possible to file an application in English and submit the necessary translation of the required documents into Arabic within 4 months from the filing date.
The procedure for patent registration in Bahrain
To obtain patent protection in Bahrain, the applicant needs to file their patent application to the IP Office of Bahrain.
The patent application will then undergo formal and substantive examination. The substantive examination can be requested after the successful completion of the formal examination.
Like most other countries, the novelty grace period in Bahrain is 12 months before the filing date. This means that if the invention was disclosed by the applicant unintentionally or intentionally within the 12 months period before the filing date or the date of priority, that patent application in Bahrain will still be considered valid.
The disclosure applies the same if it occurred at the official or officially recognized international exhibition.
If there are no problems with the examination(s), the patent will be granted to the applicant.
The annual fees for the maintenance of a Bahraini patent are payable every year on the anniversary of the filing date. Late payment is possible within a 6 month grace period. Annuities are due from the second year.
Patents are protected for a period of 20 years from the date of application in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Note:
Foreign applicants who are not residents in Bahrain must apply through the IP Registration Office or a law firm in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The entire processing time from first filing to the grant date of the patent is 4 years if there are no problems during the examinations process.
The Electronic Industrial Properties Services allows individuals and enterprises to file for patents online and allows uploading all required documents.
You can find a list of Bahrain IP firms here.