Ministry receives more than 15,000 applications for copyrights, patents

Business Saturday 29/February/2020 16:38 PM
By: Times News Service
Ministry receives more than 15,000 applications for copyrights, patents

Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the number of applications for national and international trademarks, patents, copyrights, designs and industrial designs submitted between the beginning of January and the end of December 2019 was 15,152.
The Intellectual Property Department of the ministry said that these applications included 14,391 for national and international trademarks, 506 national and international patents 22 for industrial designs and models, and 233 for copyright.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that ministerial decision no. 206/2018 which reduced fees for students and researchers by 90 per cent and 50 per cent for small and medium enterprises has resulted in an increase in the number of national patent applications. This decision has made application and registration cheaper. The money saved due to this reduction can be used by the innovator in the development of their work. The role of patent examiners of the Intellectual Property Department is to help the inventors in drafting applications, initial research and advising them on the importance of registration and protection.