Qatar Intellectual Property Department Issues New Directive on Patent Annuity Fees

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Intellectual Property Department (the “Patent Office“) in Qatar has released a new directive concerning the payment of patent annuity fees. According to the new directive, applicants can choose not to pay annuity fees if their application remains undecided for three (3) years by the Patent Office. This exemption remains in effect until the Patent Office accepts the application and issues the patent. At that point, all overdue annual fees must be paid along with the grant fees.

This directive provides a cost-effective solution for managing patent fees in the short term, which is particularly beneficial for individual inventors or small startups with limited funds who are not yet generating revenue from their inventions.

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