Al Shaali & Co. overseas office in Kuwait

Country Overview:

Although Kuwait is a small country, its massive oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels is about 10% of world reserves. These reserves make Kuwait, the third richest country in the Muslim Countries..

IP Protection:

Kuwait became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in April of 1998, however, the Intellectual Property protection remains short of international standards.

Kuwait has no copyright law and there is no legal protection for pharmaceutical patents as the patent law of 1962.

Video piracy, in particular, remains a major concern well as unauthorized Arabic translations of foreign language books.

Trademark law was enacted in 1962; however, the penalties under it are low (a maximum fine of $2,100). The second problem with the penalties for counterfeiters is the fact that it is usually applied only after the second violation.

Kuwait was placed on USTR's Priority Watch List in April, 1998.

Membership of International Bodies:

WIPO Convention – since July 1998

Contact Details: kuwait@alshaali-ip.com