Other BriefingsQatar Opens Industrial Design and Model Filings: What Foreign Businesses Should Know
Qatar has opened industrial design and model filings under new regulations, strengthening IP protection, aligning with GCC standards, and creating new opportunities for foreign businesses in design, technology, and creative industries.
Qatar has taken a major step toward bolstering its intellectual property framework. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has officially opened industrial design and model filings through its Industrial Property Office, marking the country’s first mechanism for protecting the visual and aesthetic aspects of products. This long-anticipated move fills a key gap in Qatar’s IP landscape and signals a deeper commitment to innovation-led growth.
The reform supports the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, which calls for a diversified and knowledge-based economy driven by creative and technological industries. By enabling formal protection for product design, Qatar gives businesses a clearer path to safeguard brand identity and differentiate in competitive sectors such as fashion, consumer goods, automotive, and technology.
The initiative builds on the foundation set by Law No. 10 of 2020 on Industrial Designs and follows recent modernization of Qatar’s patents and trademarks regimes. Collectively, these reforms align Qatar’s IP framework with global standards and make the country more attractive to investors seeking secure, innovation-friendly Gulf markets.
Key details of the new design filing system
The Implementing Regulations No. 129 of 2024 have brought Qatar’s industrial design law into effect, enabling companies to register the ornamental or aesthetic features of their products. The new framework covers both industrial designs and models, offering protection for the appearance of products across consumer, industrial, and digital sectors. Applicants must file their designs in person at the MOCI headquarters until the forthcoming online system becomes operational. The regulations adopt international best practices, including priority rights under the Paris Convention, allowing applicants to claim filing priority within six months of their first submission abroad.
Each application can include up to 100 drawings within the same class, enabling businesses to protect product variations efficiently. The Industrial Property Office conducts a formal examination within 30 days and grants applicants 90 days to respond to any office actions. Once accepted, applications are published for opposition, with a 60-day window for third-party challenges.
Registered designs carry an initial protection term of five years, renewable twice for a maximum of 15 years. To complete the filing, applicants must provide a legalized power of attorney, along with identification details of the applicant or inventor and payment of the relevant official fees.
Implications for foreign businesses and design-heavy sectors
The launch of this registration system creates immediate advantages for foreign companies in design-driven sectors. It allows rights holders to secure formal protection that was previously unavailable in Qatar, reducing the risk of imitation and reinforcing brand distinctiveness across key consumer markets.
In the fashion and consumer goods sectors, the system offers enhanced protection for seasonal collections, packaging aesthetics, and product silhouettes. Companies can now register these designs within Qatar rather than relying on untested trade dress claims or informal cautionary notices.
For the automotive and electronics industries, the new framework enables protection of vehicle body parts, lighting configurations, device casings, and user interface layouts: features that often define product identity and influence customer perception.
Luxury and lifestyle brands gain new enforcement tools. Registered designs can be recorded with customs to block counterfeit imports and used as evidence in online marketplace takedowns and reinforce brand control throughout the GCC region.
The six-month Paris Convention priority window is also a critical advantage for companies that already file in the EU, UK, or neighboring Gulf jurisdictions. Timely filings in Qatar allow these businesses to extend their design portfolios seamlessly and maintain global protection continuity.
Together, these developments give multinational companies greater confidence to introduce new designs and expand operations in a market that increasingly values innovation and intellectual property integrity.
Regional context: Qatar joins a GCC-wide IP modernization wave
Qatar’s introduction of industrial design filings aligns with a broader intellectual property modernization trend across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Over the past few years, regional governments have modernized their IP and design laws to attract creative industries, support technology investment, and align with international IP conventions.
The United Arab Emirates set a strong benchmark with Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, which grants design protection for up to 20 years from the filing date. Saudi Arabia followed suit, extending its design term to 15 years and completing its accession to the Hague System, which will take effect in 2025, allowing applicants to file international design applications designating the Kingdom.
Elsewhere in the region, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait maintain design protection for a maximum of 15 years, reflecting a broadly consistent regional standard.
The new framework brings Qatar’s IP system up to the standards of its GCC peers and simplifies cross-border portfolio management for multinational companies operating in the region. This consistency allows businesses to coordinate filings and renewals more efficiently across jurisdictions.
More broadly, the shift underscores the Gulf region’s strategic pivot toward knowledge and design-led growth. By reinforcing IP protection, GCC states are creating an environment where innovation, whether in luxury goods, industrial design, or advanced technology, can thrive under clear and enforceable legal safeguards.
Strategic considerations for investors and rights holders
The introduction of industrial design filings in Qatar calls for immediate portfolio adjustments from companies active in design-heavy sectors. Firms should treat this as both a compliance update and a strategic opportunity to expand their regional IP coverage.
Docket management becomes essential. Companies that already file in the EU, UK, or other GCC markets should track priority deadlines under the Paris Convention to ensure timely filings in Qatar. Coordinated submissions help preserve design rights and maintain consistency across jurisdictions.
Portfolio consolidation can further enhance efficiency. By aligning renewal cycles and protection terms across GCC countries, most of which now share a 15- or 20-year framework, businesses can streamline portfolio administration and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
Firms that previously relied on cautionary notices should transition to formal design filings. The new registration system provides legally enforceable rights, which are a prerequisite for customs records and infringement actions.
From a practical standpoint, applicants should plan ahead for administrative requirements. Legalized powers of attorney may take time to prepare and authenticate and current physical filing procedures at MOCI headquarters require advance coordination with local agents.
Once registrations issue, rights holders can expect a stronger enforcement environment. Design certificates will support customs interventions, marketplace takedowns, and civil actions, giving businesses tangible tools to safeguard brand integrity in Qatar’s expanding consumer market.
Outlook: Building an innovation-ready IP regime
The launch of industrial design filings marks more than a procedural milestone: it reflects Qatar’s broader commitment to diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons and nurture a sustainable, innovation-driven ecosystem. By extending IP protection to product design, Qatar consolidates the foundations of its creative economy, a key pillar of the country’s long-term development agenda. A stronger IP framework also encourages foreign partnerships and technology transfer.
Multinationals can now license designs, partner with local manufacturers, and establish R&D hubs with greater legal certainty. These dynamics support value creation in high-end manufacturing, fashion, and consumer technology, sectors where design plays a central commercial role.
The planned rollout of online filing and digital examination will improve efficiency and lower administrative barriers for local and foreign applicants. As these systems mature, Qatar is well-positioned to emerge as a regionally competitive IP jurisdiction, complementing the Gulf’s growing reputation as a destination for design, innovation, and high-value investment.
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