Lab fee drop to boost research, innovation in Oman

Muscat: Beginning today, fees for industrial property rights services for students of schools, colleges and universities, as well as researchers in research centres and small enterprises, will be less than before, with some fees being reduced by 90 per cent.
Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, issued ministerial decree No. (206/2018) concerning the reduction of fees for patent services, utility models and industrial designs for students of schools, colleges and universities, as well as researchers in research centres and small enterprises.
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According to the decision, fees for services provided to students and researchers, such as the registration service for industrial designs, have decreased from OMR1,000 to OMR100.
The application fees for patent applications will be OMR20 instead of OMR200, and fees for the application for a patent examination (internal) will now be OMR30, compared to the earlier OMR300.
Research centres
According to ministry officials, “This decision will encourage students at all levels of education, small business owners and researchers in research centres, and it will increase the number of patent applications in all fields, which in turn will enhance the economy in the Sultanate and encourage competitiveness among all age groups, improving the quality of innovation and motivating innovators to protect their innovation rights, leading to the Sultanate’s upgrading of the Global Innovation Index and Global Reports on Intellectual Property.”
The Ministerial Decision specified a reduction in the fees for 28 services provided by the Intellectual Property Department at Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) to students and researchers, and 29 service for small enterprises, including the application for patent filings, internal patent examinations, patent certificates, transfers of ownership, a utility certificate, an industrial design registration application, and a one-time view for application records.
During the period from the beginning of January to the end of September 2018, the number of trademark applications reached 7,643, compared to the same period of 2017 with 7,478.
In addition, the number of patent applications increased from the beginning of January until the end of September 2018 by 307 applications for patents, compared to 277 during the same period of 2017, and the number of applications for copyrights was 145 applications from the beginning of January to the end of September 2018.