Ethiopia and Kuwait: updates to the legislation

Ethiopia

With reference to the notification of the IP-Coster agent JAH & Co. IP, the Ethiopian Trademarks Office has issued new provisions to enforce the Regulation of Renewal of 2006 Act No. 25 clause 4.

Under the new stipulations, all renewals have to be published in the official Gazette and a local newspaper with nationwide circulation in Amharic. Amharic publications of the renewals are obligatory, while English publications of the renewals are optional.

Kuwait

As of April 3, 2016 the Kuwaiti Ministry of Trade and Industry adopted Law No.115 of 2016 on the regulations implementing patent Law No. 71 of 2013 (the GCC Patent Law).

Under the passed law, applicants who seek patent protection in Kuwait must file the patent application to the GCC regional Patent Office instead of to the Kuwaiti Patent Office. The patent granted under the provided procedure has legal effect in all member states of the GCC. They are the State of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, State of Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  

To get an actual quote for IP protection in Ethiopia and Kuwait please visit our quotation system.

Author: Lynda Miller