Bahrain strengthens its intellectual property framework
A faster, fully digital trademark service and accession to the Locarno Agreement further align Bahrain’s intellectual property system with international standards.
By Nabil Khoury, Managing Partner, Sovereign Trust Consultancy (Bahrain) W.L.L.
Bahrain has taken two further steps this summer to strengthen its intellectual property (IP) framework. On 17 August 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched an upgraded electronic service for registering trademarks and service marks. Shortly before, on 29 July 2026, the Kingdom deposited its instrument of accession to the Locarno Agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), adopting the international standard for classifying industrial designs.
Together, these measures make it quicker to protect a brand in Bahrain and easier to protect a product design across borders.
A faster, fully digital trademark service
The upgraded service covers applications to register a national trademark or service mark in a single class. It applies to traditional marks, such as words and logos, and to non-traditional marks, such as sounds and scents.
According to the Ministry, the upgrade significantly reduces processing times at every stage, from the preliminary legal and technical review through to final approval. Application forms are now fully digital, documentation and approval requirements have been simplified, and the service follows one standard procedure across all channels.
Eman Al Doseri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said the development reflects the Ministry’s commitment to improving efficiency, clarifying procedures and saving applicants time and effort.
The upgrade is part of a wider government programme that has documented more than 1,300 public services and re-engineered more than 800 of them. The work is guided by feedback from the public through the National Suggestions and Complaints System (Tawasul), input from investors and mystery shopper reviews.
The Nice Classification
Trademark applications in Bahrain follow the Nice Classification, the international system administered by WIPO that sorts all goods and services into 45 classes: 34 for goods and 11 for services. A registration protects the mark for the goods or services listed in the class in which it is filed.
Bahrain has been a party to the Nice Agreement since 2005. Around 150 national and regional IP offices apply the same classification, including those of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and India, so businesses can describe their goods and services in the same terms across markets. WIPO updates the classification every year, with each new version taking effect on 1 January.
The Locarno Agreement: a common language for designs
Bahrain’s accession to the Locarno Agreement was approved by Law No. 21 of 2026 and takes effect on 29 October 2026. With Bahrain’s accession, the Agreement now has 65 contracting parties.
The Locarno Classification does for product designs what the Nice Classification does for trademarks. It sorts industrial designs into 32 classes, each divided into subclasses according to the type of product, supported by an alphabetical list of more than 5,000 goods. WIPO publishes a new edition every two years.
The IP offices of contracting parties show the class and subclass on design registrations and publications. For design owners, this brings three practical benefits:
- one consistent classification when filing in several countries, with no need to reclassify goods for each national system;
- faster and more reliable searches of existing design registrations; and
- closer cooperation between Bahrain’s IP office and its counterparts abroad.
What this means for businesses
For companies establishing or growing in Bahrain, these changes make brand and design protection simpler to arrange alongside company formation and licensing. Three points are worth keeping in mind:
- Register your brand early. With a faster, digital process, trademark filing can run in parallel with setting up your company, so your application is on file before you launch.
- Map your classes. Each application covers one class, so identify every class your goods and services fall into and file for each one you need.
- Think beyond Bahrain. Bahrain is also a member of the Madrid Protocol, so brand owners abroad can extend their protection to Bahrain through the international registration system. From 29 October 2026, Bahrain will also classify designs in the same way as the other Locarno contracting parties, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Our view
These are practical and welcome steps. A faster trademark service and alignment with the international design classification make it easier for businesses to protect what they build in Bahrain, and they reflect the Kingdom’s continued focus on listening to investors and improving the services they rely on. Both measures support the goals of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and reinforce the Kingdom’s standing as one of the region’s most attractive places to invest and innovate.
Sovereign Trust Consultancy supports businesses setting up and operating in Bahrain. To discuss protecting your brand as part of your Bahrain set-up, contact our team at bahrain@SovereignGroup.com or +973 1777 2011.
