Industrial property rights are important for all businesses. Oman has one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks for the protection of industrial property rights in the region. Some of these rights, such as patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, are known to everyone. This blog post highlights some of the less known industrial property rights that are protected in Oman.
1. Utility Models
Utility models provide protection to novel inventions that have a sufficient inventive step and are capable of industrial application. This form of protection is very similar to patent protection, but the required degree of inventiveness is lower. The protection of utility models lasts up to 10 years.
Utility models are not very famous because the inventions they protect are of a lower degree of inventiveness. There are many example of inventions that are protected by utility models, such as the “Nissin Cup Noodle” which offers an inventive way of making cup noodles but falls below the required level for patent protection.
2. Industrial Design
Industrial design right protects the 3D design of a product, whether with or without colours if the designs offers a unique and special appearance that can be recognised distinctively. It is important to note that design right does not protect the technical functionally of the product and only covers its aesthetic and design. The design right can be protected for periods of 5 years that can be renewed up to 15 years.
For example, Christian Dior registered the design of the bag seen in the image below in Official Gazette 1613.
3. Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits (Semi-conductors)
The right of a layout design of an integrated circuit protects the topographical design of a silicon chip for layout designs that are original. The protection lasts for up to 10 years.
The legal framework has provided for this protection since 2008, however we have not been able to locate the registration of a layout design in Oman.
4. Geographical Indications
Geographical indications protect the names or indication that identify goods as originating from a specific location. Geographical indications are similar to trademarks and their protection can last indefinitely. For example, in theory, geographical indications can be used to protect the name “Omani Halwa” so that it is used to refer to halwa made specifically in Oman and to prohibit others from calling halwa made elsewhere Omani.
Conclusion
These were only some of the example of industrial rights protected by Omani law. It is highly recommended that you familiarise yourself with the full text of the Omani Industrial Property Law. You can read it in English in full in the link below:
