Lawyer Monthly Magazine August 2020 Edition

right owners have the option to protect their invention via patent and design application. In the United Arab Emirates, inventions can be protected via utility application, as well. The protection lasts for 20 years, 10 – 15 years and 10 years (from the date of filing) respectively for patent, design and utility applications. As mentioned before, since the GCC countries are part of the international treaties – the specific non-patentable exception such as plant varieties, What patent protection is available in the GCC countries and how long does it last? What cannot be patented? All GCC countries are part of the international treaties such as the Patent Corporation Treaty, Paris Convention and such. This uniformity of laws makes it less sceptical for stakeholders to determine whether to file their IP rights in the region. Like in most other countries, the WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | AUG 2020 36 AN INTERVIEW WITH NEVIN KOSHY About Nevin Koshy Nevin is a credible distinction engineer in biotechnology and a commendable high merit attorney in Intellectual Property Law from the finest university in the United Kingdom with proven analytical and communication skills. A person who has completed all his education till date in distinction or high merit, with more than 10 years of quality professional experience, he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, United Kingdom. He has worked for several reputed biotech industries both as a research scientist and as an Intellectual Property Consultant. He has his specialisation in Intellectual Property Law from the University of London and has numerous other degrees which he has taken during his professional career. He has also worked as an IP consultant in the technology transfer department of Queen Mary University of London [Queen Mary Innovation Ltd (United Kingdom)]. He is active in various international intellectual property organisations such as INTA, AIPLA, CIPA, APAA and is currently one of the Board of Directors of the AIPPI UAE Chapter. His focus areas are patents, design and copyright protection locally, regionally and internationally. He is also involved in trademark filing and prosecution matters for his clients. He is actively involved in IP training sessions and is a profound speaker on several regional and international conferences. www.utmps.com Securing Patent Rights in the Evolving GCC Region "Is it worth protecting Intellectual Property in the GCC region? Of course!" To elaborate - protecting and enforcing Intellectual property rights has become one of the most contentious global trade issues. Traditional growth and development have been attributed to the revenues that are from oil and gas. However, the culture of innovation is now being embraced by various countries in the region which is evident from the results of the Global Innovation Index score with the United Arab Emirates leading the way among the GCC countries. With innovation comes responsibilities in protecting your invention and creativity. Both multinational business and local companies seek to leverage this potential from the perspective of a global business hub and strategic access to the other Middle East region by actively seeking protection for their brands, products and especially technology. To clarify, since Middle East region consists of at least 17 countries, my response will be focussed on the six GCC member states [Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates] for a concise response.