The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council issued the unified Patent Law in December 1992 and the implementing regulation in 1996. The office designated to fulfill the requirements of the law was opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and accepted filing of applications as of October 3, 1998. Protection of the GCC patent extends to members of the GCC Countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.
Once an application for the grant of a patent is filed with the Patent Office, it will be examined with respect to the compliance of the applicant with the formalities. If executed satisfactorily, the application receives a filing number and the filing date is secured. Absolute universal novelty is stipulated by the Patent Law.
