Saudi trademark law covers names, words, signatures, letters, symbols, numbers, addresses, seals, drawings, images, distinctive packaging, shapes, and colors or color combinations — essentially anything capable of distinguishing one business's goods or services from another's. Business owners often assume only a logo qualifies, when a distinctive product shape, a specific color combination, or even a slogan can sometimes receive protection too.
Before filing, a clearance search of existing registered marks is worth doing, since SAIP will reject an application that conflicts with an existing registration, and discovering this after investing in branding around a specific name is a considerably worse position than checking first.
Applications are filed electronically through SAIP's platform, specifying the exact mark, the goods or services classes it covers, and including a certified translation where the mark itself isn't in Arabic. SAIP then conducts both a formal review, confirming the application meets basic requirements, and a substantive examination checking the mark against existing registrations and general registrability requirements.
Choosing the correct goods and services classes matters considerably — registering in too few classes leaves gaps in your actual protection, while the fees scale with the number of classes covered, so this is worth planning deliberately rather than guessing.
Once an application clears examination, it's published for a 60-day period during which any third party who believes the registration would harm their existing rights can file an opposition. This is often where a filing that looked straightforward becomes genuinely contested, particularly for marks that are similar to established brands in the same general market.
Where an opposition is filed against your application, or where you believe someone else's pending mark should be opposed to protect your own existing rights, this stage benefits considerably from legal representation given the evidentiary and procedural requirements involved.
A registered trademark is valid for ten years from filing and renewable indefinitely, and gives the owner the exclusive right to use the mark for the registered goods and services, along with standing to pursue infringement action against unauthorized use.
Registration also makes enforcement considerably more straightforward — pursuing a counterfeiter or infringer with a registered mark in hand is a fundamentally stronger position than trying to establish rights in an unregistered mark after the fact.
Where someone uses your registered mark without authorization, the typical path starts with documenting the infringement — photos, receipts, screenshots of online use — followed by a formal cease-and-desist notice, and if that doesn't resolve things, an infringement action before the commercial courts or a complaint to SAIP directly.
Counterfeiting specifically often benefits from a coordinated approach across multiple fronts — online marketplace takedowns, physical market enforcement, and customs coordination at points of import — rather than a single enforcement action addressing only one channel.
Yes — this falls under our Trademark Registration service, and we handle applications across all industries and goods/services classes.
Typically six to twelve months, including the mandatory 60-day publication and opposition period — we'll give you a realistic estimate for your specific application.
Yes — distinctive packaging, shapes, and color combinations can sometimes receive protection too, beyond just a name or logo. We can assess what's actually protectable in your specific case.
This happens during the 60-day publication period if a third party believes your registration would harm their existing rights — we can represent you through this process, which has its own specific evidentiary requirements.
Effective enforcement often requires a coordinated approach across online marketplaces, physical retail, and customs enforcement at import points — we can help pursue action across whichever channels are relevant to your situation.
Expert Riyadh