Patent Certificate for Bahrain

U.S. Patents, Licensing and Patent Protection in Bahrain

Bahrain’s manufacturing, fintech, healthcare and logistics sectors license a growing amount of foreign technology, and investors in Bahraini ventures want to see who owns the underlying inventions. That is where a U.S. patent document comes in: as proof of ownership in a licence or technology transfer agreement, in investor due diligence, in a tender that values patented technology, or in a dispute.

Protection in Bahrain is separate

A U.S. patent protects an invention only in the United States. To protect it in Bahrain, the owner needs a Bahraini patent, obtained through the national patent office at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, either directly or by entering the national phase of an international application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, which Bahrain has joined. Some older inventions are protected by patents from the GCC Patent Office. That office stopped accepting new applications in 2021, so new protection is now pursued nationally. A Bahraini patent attorney can confirm which rights you hold.

The document to use

Bahraini counterparties and courts need an official copy, not the decorative ribbon copy issued to the inventor. Order a certified copy of the patent, or of the application or file history, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If ownership has changed, add a certified copy of the recorded assignment so the chain of title is clear.

Federal apostille

USPTO certified copies bear the Office’s seal and an official’s signature, which makes them federal records. They are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, which attaches the apostille to the certified copy as issued. No notary or Secretary of State is involved. Bahrain has accepted apostilles since December 31, 2013, so the federal apostille completes the document for use in Bahrain.

Priority documents

When a Bahraini application claims priority from a U.S. filing, the priority document is a certified copy of the U.S. application. Patent offices often accept these without an apostille, and in PCT cases priority documents are usually handled through the international system. Ask your Bahraini attorney before adding an apostille that may not be required.

Translation

Bahraini courts and agencies work in Arabic. Where a patent is relied on in a dispute or official filing, a certified translation of the relevant parts is made in Bahrain. Claims and drawings should be translated with particular care.