Patent: Patent applications can be filed with the Saudi Arabian Patent Office. Once granted, protection is exclusive to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian Patent Law Article 4 states that "(a) The protection document shall not be granted if its commercial exploitation violates the Shari'ah (Islamic law)” and “(b) The protection document shall not be granted if its commercial exploitation is harmful to life, to human, animal or plant health, or is substantially harmful to the environment." The term granted for a Saudi Arabian patent is 20 years from the filing date.
Regional Patent: This type of patent can be filed with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Patent Office. The terms of protection for a GCC patent is 20 years from the filing date.
Plant Varieties: The terms of protection for plant varieties is 20 years from the filing date.
Industrial Designs: The terms of protection for industrial designs is 10 years from the filing date.
Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits: The terms of protection for layout designs of integrated circuits is 10 years from the filing date.1
Saudi Arabia became a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2013, and is also a signatory of numerous treaties and conventions including, but not limited to the following:
For information regarding how to file international, regional or national patent applications in each country, we welcome you to contact us.
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1 https://www.epo.org/searching-for-patents/helpful-resources/asian/faq.html#faq-218
2 https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ShowResults.jsp?country_id=149C
