Patent registration in Yemen. Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, & historically known as South Arabia, is a country in Western Asia, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Yemen is also a culturally rich country with influence from many civilizations, such as the early civilization of Saba’. 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 Yemen.
Patent in Yemen
According to Yemen law, a patent in this country is a grant of a property right given by the Government to an inventor. With a patent, the inventor, or the patentee will have the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling the invention in a country, or importing the invention into a country, along with other rights to protect their best interests.
To be patentable in Yemen, an invention must satisfy the requirement of new, inventive, and industrially applicable.
In addition, an invention that is patentable can also be an improvement on existing items or methods.
On the other hand, the subjects that are unpatentable in Yemen are:
- Discoveries, laws of nature, and mathematical methods;
- Aesthetic designs;
- Systems, rules, and methods for the performance of mental labor, games or management, computer programs;
- Presentation of data and abstract ideas.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Yemen
The necessary documents for patent registration in Yemen include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s names, addresses, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The official language of the IP Office of Yemen is Arabic. Besides the Arabic version, the applicant should also submit the English translation of the application.
The procedure for patent registration in Yemen
To obtain a patent in Yemen, the applicant needs to file a patent application to the IP Office of Yemen.
In Yemen, there is a 12-month grace period for the novelty requirement of the patent application. This means that if the patent application is filed within 12 months from the public exposure date of the invention, the patent application will still be considered valid.
If the examiners at the IP Office have checked and considered that the patent application is valid, they will announce the decision to grant to the applicant.
Unlike other countries, in Yemen, there is no substantive examination procedure.
Patents in Yemen are valid for 20 years from the filing date. Obtaining a patent, the patentee will have exclusive rights over the invention within Yemen’s jurisdiction.
It should be noted that Yemen is not a member of the PCT. Therefore, the applicant can’t register their patent application through the PCT.
You can see a list of Yemen IP firms here.