MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION
A Happy New Year to all our readers, wherever you may be around
the world!
During 2014, we saw a number of key developments throughout the
region. Highlights have included Yemen, after 13 years of
negotiation, acceding to the World Trade Organisation and thereby
becoming party to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). We have also seen Kuwait
acceding to the Paris and Berne Conventions and the Libya Trade
Marks Office re-opening following closure as a result of the civil
unrest.
2015 promises to be another interesting year, with further
developments in the IP landscape likely across the MENA region. The
highlight of the year may be the introduction of a Unified GCC
Trade Mark Law (as reported in the November issue of our
IP Newsletter), which may potentially come into force during
the second half of 2015.
