Increase in official fees for publication of trademark matters

The following fees for publication of trademark matters have changed from February 19 2017:

These fees for publication have not changed:

The increased fees apply to all publication fees payable from February 19 2017. The increase has been implemented by the company responsible for publication. There has not been an official announcement and the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law have not been amended. The existing fees for publication already differ from those in the Implementing Regulations.

This is the second increase in six months following amendments implemented on September 29 2016 when the revised Trademark Law and Implementing Regulations came into force to implement the unified terms of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Trademark Law. These new fees are more than anticipated by the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law:

Those increases in turn followed an increase earlier in 2016 when publication fees for renewals increased to Sr3,000. 

The almost relentless increase in official fees in Saudi Arabia has been matched by increases in Bahrain and Kuwait following legislation in those countries to implement the terms of the unified GCC Trademark Law. Significant increases in official fees are anticipated in Oman and Qatar when legislation is introduced to implement the terms of the unified GCC Trademark Law in those countries. The official fees in the United Arab Emirates are higher than those anticipated by the unified GCC Trademark Law and the official fees in the UAE are not expected to be reduced when the GCC Trademark Law is implemented there.

Edward Hardcastle, Rouse, United Arab Emirates