Intellectual Property refers to the creations of mind such as inventions, artistic works, names and images used in commerce, industrial designs, industrial/business procedures, and systems.

What is Intellectual Property Rights?

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are legal rights given to the original creators of the property and they are protected by the national & international laws. IPR’s allows the creators or owners of patent, trademarks, & copyrights to gain from their own intellectual work or investment in the creation of value. These rights are granted to original creators or owners when they register their own intellectual property with the legal & regulatory authorities who uphold the law nationally & internationally while providing them with the right to benefit from the creation, protection of moral and material interests resulting from authorship, scientific discovery, industrial designing, deployment of new industrial techniques & methods, trademarked brand names & logos, literary or artistic productions.

Furthermore, it can be noted that intellectual properties are valuable assets of businesses, organizations, startups & individuals. Protection of these intellectual properties must be made in the form of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) because the infringement of these rights can significantly damage the uniqueness and value of a brand, product or entire business and steal the benefits that are to be gained by the rightful creator or innovator. Hence, enforcement of intellectual property rights, therefore, forms a very critical part of protecting a business operation and an owner’s commercial edge in the market.

Types of Intellectual Property Rights in Bahrain

In order to protect your intellectual property rights in Bahrain effective management of IP rights is essential as international IP rights do not protect your property in different regions as rules differ according to country’s laws. In order to protect your intellectual property from infringement in Bahrain, you should apply for Intellectual property rights in the country and the IPR’s must be registered and enforced in the Kingdom of Bahrain under local laws.

Companies and businesses entering into Bahraini market must make sure that they have registered and enforced their IP’s under local laws as it is essential for the business before introducing products or services in Bahrain.

Patents

Generally, the patents in Bahrain are granted to inventors for inventions, research models, creators of utility systems used in business or industries. These can include anything from machinery, tools, processes, chemicals, biotechnology, software, etc.

An invention or utility system in order to qualify for a patent, an inventor must invariably create something that is

• Innovative
• Unique to the patentee
• Patentable matter
• Merited and can be utilized
• Non-obvious
• Not harmful to the society

Laws

Patents in Bahrain are protected under the Act No.1 of 2004 on Patents and Utility Models et Act No. 14 of 2006 amending some provision of Law No. 1 of 2004 in respects of patents and Utility models

Validity

Patents are secured and valid for a period of 20 years (ten years for utility models) from the date of filing or if priority is claimed, from the date on which it is claimed.

International Agreements Signed

Patent Cooperation Treaty

Trademarks

Trademarks in Bahrain are referred to denote logos, symbols, epithets, slogans, brands, etc., that directly belong to a brand, company, business or product. Trademarks are identities that specifically distinguish your product or service from the competitors in the market.

Laws

Trademarks are protected in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the Legislative Decree No. 11 of 2006 in respect of Trade Marks.

Validity

The trademarks in Bahrain are secured and valid for a period of 10 years starting from the day of filing the demand (Decree No.11 in respect of Trade Marks) and can be renewed for ten-year periods.

International Agreements Signed

Trademark Law Treaty Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks

Design & Industrial Models

• Designs are referred to any set of the arrangement of lines, 2D or 3D under the law.
• Industrial models are blueprints, or handicrafts, or industrial product, is protected under the law to ensure that the original designer or the owner must benefit from the creation of the design or model.

Laws

• Designs are protected in the Kingdom of Bahrain under Act No. 6 of 2006 on Industrial Designs and Models
• Industrial Models are protected in the Kingdom of Bahrain under Act No. 22 of the Year 2006 relating to the Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights

Validity

• The design patents registration is secured and valid for five years & can be renewed twice more, each time again for five years
• The industrial model registrations are secure and valid for a period of ten years starting from the date of registration

Copyrights

The copyrights in Bahrain refers to the creation, selling or buying of creative work of art such as literature, paper & digital art, paintings, photography, music, film etc. are common forms of content that are copyrighted. The copyrighted content denotes the five basic rights of the author, or artist or owner that is a reproduction, distribution, adaption, performance, and display.

Laws

The copyrights in the Kingdom of Bahrain are protected under the Act no. 22 of the Year 2006 relating to the Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights

Validity

The copyrights of the author’s or the producer’s rights are protected for the duration of the author’s life plus 70 years after his or her death

Who We Are

As a specialist firm, Xcellence offers the complete gamut of intellectual property services. Our team comprises intellectual property lawyers and trademark registration consultants, to facilitate the IP protection process for you. All in all, our job is to protect your intangible assets. We at Xcellence can also offer beneficial support and strategic guidance at every stage of your business right from analyzing the scope of business to getting your company started in Bahrain, registration and post-setting support services. To know more, do contact us-we’d be glad to assist.