Trademark in Qatar

The following may be registered as trademarks: names having a distinctive form, signatures, words, letters, numerals, designs, pictures, symbols, stamps, seals, vignettes, reliefs and any other sign or combination of signs, if used or intended to be used to distinguish the products of enterprises in the fields of industry, handicraft, agriculture, forestry or mining or to distinguish goods sold or services performed in the course of trade.

Trademarks covering alcoholic goods are not registrable.

A separate application should be filed with respect to each class of goods or services.

If the Trademark Office finds that trademark application does not comply with the requirements of the Law, it shall refuse it or impose whatever restrictions and modifications it may consider necessary for defining and clarifying the mark more accurately. The trademark is examined also by a substantially point of view.

Where a mark is accepted the Trademark Office shall publish the mark in the Trademark Gazette and any interested party may oppose the registration within four months after the publication of the mark. The trademark Office shall send a copy of the notice of opposition to the applicant. The applicant may furnish the Trademark Office with a written reply to such opposition. If no reply is received, the applicant shall be deemed to hvae abandoned the application.

The decision of the Trademark Office regarding the opposition shall be subject to appeal to the Civil Court within a period of 60 days after the date of the transmittal of the notification of such decision to the persons concerned.

The term of duration of the registered mark shall be ten years from the date of filing the application for registration and can be renewed indefinitely, each time for ten years. At the time of renewal, no change may be made in the mark or in the list of goods or service in respect of which the mark is registered, except that goods or services may be deleted from the list.

Any interested party may request the Court to order cancellation of a trademark registration if the owner fails to use such a trademark in Qatar within 5 consecutive years from the date of registration. The application for cancellation may be in relation of all or some of the products or services for which the trademark has been registered.

The assignment of a trademark has to be made in writing and signed by the contracted parties before the competent officer at the Office or otherwise their signatures be officially authenticated before the competent authority. The assignment of a trademark is deemed to be invalid if it may result in misleading or confusing the public, especially for the nature of the products, services, their origin, their manufacturing process, their specification or their adequacy for use.

The trademark owner may grant a license to use the trademark for all or some of the registered products or services. The license term should not exceed the trademark’s approved legal protection term. The contract should be in writing and signed by the contracted parties before the competent officer at the Office or otherwise their signatures be officially authenticated before the competent authentication authority.