GCC Patent Filing

The GCC Supreme Council, during its 13th session held in December 1992, approved the Patent Regulation and the Statute of the GCC Patent Office. The Patent Office was opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it started receiving applications from October 3, 1998.

In November 1999, the GCC Council proposed further amendments to the Regulation; the amended Regulation became effective on August 16, 2000 .

Certificates of patents granted by the GCC Patent Office secure legal protection of the inventor's rights in all member states of the GCC which comprises the State of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, State of Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A patent shall be promptly validated in the member states as of the date of grant. At the moment, national patent offices are in operation in a number of the GCC states. These national offices grant patent protection in their respective countries. An applicant may file as many applications as he wishes with any national office whether such office is already in operation or still in the process of establishment. The applicant may also file an application with the regional office, if he so wishes.