The Oman Update – October 2016

Regulations for registration of company trade names

Ministerial Decision No. 124/2016 came into force on 27 April 2016 and, in summary, prohibits the registration of company names that:

• are a proper noun (unless it is the name of the business owner or partner) or the collective name of a tribe with the letters "Al" preceding it;
• are identical or similar to the names of existing international or local businesses, similar to a registered trademark, or similar to honorific titles or symbols belonging to an international or local organisation;
• suggest or hold a military, political or religious meaning or sense;
• bear the word "Oman", "Omani" or a derivative thereof (unless it is a joint stock company); or