Patents, Trademarks and Industrial Designs

Patents and Inventions

Patents are protected for a period of 20 years from the date of application in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The patent application is submitted to the National Patent Office at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce by the applicant if he is a citizen or resident in the Kingdom of Bahrain; foreign applicants who are not resident in the Kingdom must apply through the IP Registration Office or a law firm in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

• Guidelines to Write Invention Description (PDF, 395KB, 15 Pages)

The Electronic Industrial Properties Services allows individuals and enterprises to file for patents online and allows uploading all required documents. The service can be accessed using advanced eKey with more advanced features.

• File your patent online

Trademarks

A trademark application is submitted to the Trademark Office at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce by the by the applicant if he is a national or resident in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Foreign applicants who are not resident in the Kingdom must apply through IP Registration Agents or law firms authorised by the Industrial Property Directorate.

The protection period of a trademark is 10 years from the date of application in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Protection can be extended for several similar periods by submitting a renewal application which be filed during the last year of each protection period through the Electronic Industrial Properties Services.

• Register a trademark

Industrial Drawings

The protection period for an industrial drawing and design is 10 years from date of filing in the Kingdom. If the proprietor files a renewal application during the last year of the period, the protection shall be renewed for a further 5 years. The proprietor may also file a renewal application during the 6 months after the expiry date. The industrial drawing and design application must be submitted to the Patent Office Ministry of Industry and Commerce by the applicant if he is a national or resident in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

• Register an Industrial design

Authors' Rights and Attendants' Rights

The laws of Bahrain provide protection for literary, artistic, and scientific works from the moment of their creation, without necessitating any procedural formality. This protection extends to works regardless of their value, type, purpose, or method of expression. Specifically, protection covers:

• Books, brochures, articles, leaflets, and other written works.
• Computer software, whether in source language or machine language.
• Verbal works, such as lectures, speeches, sermons, and similar creations.
• Dramatic works, musical dramas, dances, pantomimes, and other theatrical performances.
• Musical works, whether accompanied or unaccompanied by words.
• Audiovisual works, including cinematographic and TV works.
• Visual arts, such as paintings using lines or colors, sculptures, inscriptions, lithographs, printing on fabrics, wood, metals, and similar works.
• Applied works of art.
• Photographic works and similar creations.
• Illustrations, geographical maps, designs, sketches, and 3-D works related to geography, topography, architecture, or science.

Creative titles associated with works enjoy the same protection as the works themselves. Bahrain's legal provisions underscore its commitment to securing the intellectual property rights of creators and contributors across a diverse spectrum of artistic and innovative endeavors.