Utility Models

– Law No. 1 of 2004 on Patents and Utility Models, issued on January 29, 2004, amended by Law No. 14 of 2006, issued on May 31, 2006.
– Implementing Regulations of Law No. 1 of 2004 on Patents and Utility Models, published in the Official Gazette No. 3397 on December 13, 2018.

Membership in International Conventions

– Same as for “Patents of Invention“.

Filing

The conditions of protection under the Law are as follows:

Applicant: any individual or corporate body who owns a utility model invention may apply.

Novelty: required.

Priority: applicable.

Exceptions to protection: inventions affecting legally acquired rights and those contrary to safety, public health and morals.

Territory covered: Kingdom of Bahrain.

Filing requirements for an application (to be sent to resident agent):
1. Power of attorney, legalized up to a Bahraini Consulate or by Apostille;
2. An extract from the Commercial Register or from the memorandum of association if the applicant is a company, duly legalized up to an Arab Consulate;
3. 1 copy of the specification in English and its Arabic translation;
4. 1 set of the drawings relating to the invention, if any;
5. An abstract of the invention of no more than 200 words, together with the best explanatory diagram;
6. A deed of assignment signed by the inventor and the applicant and duly legalized up to a Bahraini Consulate, if the applicant is not the inventor;
7. A certified copy of the basic application giving the filing date, number and country if the application is to be filed with a priority claim.

Note: if the documents are not in English, an English translation must be attached. All documents are then translated into Arabic.

Electronic filing: available.

Electronic signatures: are accepted, provided they are notarized and legalized up to a Bahraini Consulate or by Apostille.

Protection

Opposition: notice of opposition must be filed within thirty days of publication of the application in the Official Gazette.

Duration: ten years from the date of filing the application or from the priority date in case of claiming priority subject to payment of the prescribed annuity fees due.

Working: required.

Compulsory license: applicable upon failure to satisfy the stipulated working requirements within three years as from the grant date, or within four years as from the date of application, whichever is longer.

Marking: no provision in the law.

Assignment: in order to be effective, an assignment must be recorded.