Thomson CompuMark released the results of its study of Middle Eastern trademarks, which are featured in the Thomson Reuters report, “Trademarks in the Middle East: A New Frontier for Brand Expansion,” detail the rise of the Middle East as an emerging hotbed for trademark growth, as both domestic and US companies have begun to work diligently to protect their brands in the region.
In 2011, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates were the top trademark-publishing countries, driven by a largely consumer marketplace. While Israel has published the most trademarks in the region since 1990, Saudi Arabia led the pack with nearly 25,000 trademarks in the past year. Overall, the spike reflects a 600 percent increase over the last 22 years.
Of the top 10 trademark filers in the region for 2011, half were pharmaceutical/health care companies. They included Johnson & Johnson (1), Sanofi (2), GlazoSmithKline (3), Merck (5), and Novartis (6).
With no centralized patent office, brands looking to secure trademark protection across the Middle East must do so on a country-by-country basis. The fees for filing trademarks are substantial and at times can be more than triple the cost in the United States.
“Our analysis reveals the Middle East is an opportunistic region for any multinational firm seeking to expand globally,” Jeroen Lallemand, product marketing director, Thomson Reuters IP Solutions, said.
“While there isn’t a one size fits all trademark strategy for the politically and culturally diverse region, with the right knowledge, investment of time, and resources, brand owners are in the best position in years to grow a strong consumer base.”
The data in this report was compiled using SAEGIS on SERION from Thomson CompuMark to identify trends in trademark applications, registrations, objections, and claims between 1990 and 2011.
Referred to as “One World. One Source,” SAEGIS on SERION, an online trademark screening solution, centralizes the largest comprehensive collection of screening databases available anywhere, including the Middle East.