Article 11 of the Saudi Geographical Indications Law

This article regulates the grievance committee and the route for objecting to rejection of a registration application.

First: formation of the committee

• It is formed by a decision of the Authority's board of directors and considers grievances against the Authority's decisions to register indications, reject their registration and cancel them.
• It has no fewer than 3 members, including a legal adviser.
• Its decisions are issued by majority and must be reasoned.
• Its rules of work and its members' remuneration are issued by a decision of the Board.

Second: grievance against rejection of the application

1. A person whose application the Authority has rejected may file a grievance before the committee within 60 days of the date he is notified of the rejection.
2. The committee must decide on the grievance within 60 days of the date it is filed.
3. If the committee does not decide within the period, or rejects the grievance, the applicant may object before the competent court within 60 days of the end of the period or of his being notified of the decision rejecting the grievance, as the case may be.

So if the committee stays silent until its period ends, the way to the court opens just as if it had rejected the grievance. What matters is to observe the periods, because the text ties each step to a specific period. A person whose application is rejected should consult a lawyer specializing in intellectual property to calculate the deadlines precisely.