Bahrain Trademark Information

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a constitutional monarchy located on an archipelago of 33 islands in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain lies off the west coast of Saudi Arabia and is connected to it via the King Fahd Causeway. The population is estimated at 791,000 with a GDP of $28.12 billion.

In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shia discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.

Trademarks are assigned by the Directorate of Industrial Property under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Bahrain is a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of filing, renewable for periods of 10 years each.

Trademark applications accepted by the Registrar are published in the Official Gazette. There is a sixty-day period open for filing an opposition by any interested party. An opposition to the registration of a trademark should be prosecuted before the Registrar by an authorized agent or the proprietors themselves within the prescribed period as from the date of publication. Such an opposition case is settled by the Registrar. In the absence of opposition, a published trademark is registered, and the certificate of registration is issued.