Article 35 of the Saudi Trademarks Law

المادة 35 من نظام العلامات التجارية · الباب الرابع: العلامات الجماعية وعلامات المراقبة وعلامات الهيئات ذات النفع العام والمؤسسات المهنية

The Article allows legal persons who control or inspect goods or services to register a mark indicating the control or inspection, with the approval of the competent authority.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

1- يجوز للأشخاص الاعتباريين الذين يتولون مراقبة أو فحص بعض السلع أو الخدمات من حيث مصدرها أو عناصر تركيبها أو طريقة صنعها أو جودتها أو ذاتيها أو أية خاصية أخرى أن يطلبوا من الجهة المختصة بتسجيل علامة تكون مخصصة لهم للدلالة على إجراء المراقبة أو الفحص وفي جميع الأحوال لا يجوز تسجيل هذه العلامة أو نقل ملكيتها إلا بموافقة الجهة المختصة.

2 - يتعين على طالب تسجيل علامة المراقبة أن يشير في طلب التسجيل أنه يتعلق بعلامة مراقبة أو فحص، وأن يرفق بالطلب نسخة من اشتراطات استعمال العلامات المطلوب تسجيلها.

وفي جميع الأحوال يلتزم مالك العلامة المسجلة بإخطار الجهة المختصة بأية تغييرات في تلك الاشتراطات، ولا تكون هذه التغييرات نافذة إلا بعد موافقة الجهة المختصة.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 35 explained in plain English

This Article governs a special type of mark, the control or inspection mark. It does not indicate who made the goods or provided the service, but indicates that a particular body controlled or inspected it.

Who may register: Legal persons, that is, bodies and entities rather than individuals, who control or inspect certain goods or services as to:

Their source or ingredients.
Their method of manufacture or quality.
Their identity or any other characteristic.

The role of the competent authority: This mark may not be registered, nor its ownership transferred, except with the approval of the competent authority.

Details of the application: The applicant states in the application that it concerns a control or inspection mark, and attaches a copy of the conditions for its use. After registration the owner must notify the competent authority of any change in these conditions, and the change takes effect only after its approval.

These provisions are close to those on the collective mark in Article 34 in attaching the conditions of use and requiring approval to amend them. Article 37 provides that signs used as geographical indications may constitute a certification mark, and refers to the Implementing Regulations the conditions for registering these marks and their documents. To learn the requirements of a particular case, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in trademarks and commercial cases.

Practical example

A body specialized in inspecting the quality of honey products in the Kingdom wanted a mark that would be placed by producers whose products passed its inspection. The body applied to register an inspection mark, stated this in the application and attached the conditions of use, and registration takes place only with the approval of the competent authority.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

How we write and review content

A question about Article 35 of Trademarks Law?

Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.