Article 9 of the Saudi Trademarks Law
المادة 9 من نظام العلامات التجارية · الفصل الأول: إجراءات تسجيل العلامات التجارية
The Article allows a mark to be registered for one or more classes of goods or services under the Regulations, and provides that being in the same class or in different classes is not by itself enough to judge goods similar or different.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1 - يجوز تسجيل العلامة التجارية عن فئة واحدة أو أكثر من فئات السلع أو الخدمات وفقًا لما تحدده اللائحة التنفيذية لهذا القانون (النظام).
2 - لا تعتبر السلع أو الخدمات مشابهة لبعضها البعض لمجرد كونها مدرجة في نفس الفئة، ولا تعتبر السلع أو الخدمات مختلفة عن بعضها البعض لمجرد كونها مدرجة في فئات مختلفة من ذات التصنيف.
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 9 explained in plain English
This Article deals with the classes of goods and services for which a mark is registered.
Item 1: A trademark may be registered for one or more classes of goods or services, as specified by the Implementing Regulations. The Article does not list the classes or the method of classification, and leaves that to the Regulations.
Item 2: It sets an important rule in assessing similarity:
- Goods or services are not considered similar to each other merely because they are in the same class.
- Nor are they considered different from each other merely because they are in different classes of the same classification.
The importance of this rule is that many provisions of the Law rest on the idea of "similar" or "related" goods or services, such as Article 10, which requires suspending simultaneous applications to register close or similar marks for one class. The class number alone does not settle the matter; the nature of the goods and services themselves is examined.
To determine the right classes for your activity and assess the likelihood of conflict with existing marks, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial cases.
Practical example
A company in Khobar registered a mark for coffee products, then another person applied with a similar mark for coffee-making machines in a different class. A difference in class alone is not enough to say the two goods are different; they may be considered related given their nature, under item 2.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 9 of the Saudi Trademarks Law
Can a trademark be registered in more than one class?
Yes. A mark may be registered for one or more classes of goods or services as specified by the Implementing Regulations.
Are goods listed in the same class considered similar?
Goods or services are not considered similar merely because they are listed in the same class.
If my mark is in a different class, am I safe from conflict?
Goods or services are not considered different merely because they are in different classes of the same classification, so a difference in class does not settle the matter by itself.
More articles on Trademark Registration
- Article 3
The Article lists fifteen cases in which a sign is not considered a trademark and may not be registered, such as a non-distinctive, misleading mark or one similar to an earlier or well-known mark.
لا تعد علامة تجارية أو جزءًا منها، ولا يجوز أن يسجل بهذا الوصف ما يأتي: 1 - العلامة الخالية من أية صفة مميزة، أو العلامات المكونة من بيانات ليست إلا التسمية الت
- Article 5
The Article specifies four categories entitled to register their trademarks: nationals of the Council states, resident foreigners authorized to work, nationals of states party to certain international conventions, and public interests.
للفئات التالية الحق في تسجيل علاماتهم التجارية: 1 - كل شخص طبيعي أو معنوي يتمتع بجنسية أي من دول المجلس، سواء كان صاحب مصنع أو منتجًا أو تاجرًا أو حرفيًا أو صاح
- Article 6
The Article establishes the trademark register at the competent authority, specifies what is recorded in it, and gives every interested party the right to inspect it and obtain a certified extract.
1 - يعد سجل في الجهة المختصة يسمى سجل العلامات التجارية، تدون فيه جميع العلامات وأسماء أصحابها وعناوينهم وأوصاف سلعهم أو خدماتهم، وما يطرأ على العلامات من نقل ا
- Article 7
The Article treats whoever registers a mark in good faith as its owner, bars disputing it after five years of use without a court dispute, and lets the earlier user request cancellation within five years.
1 - يعتبر من قام بتسجيل العلامة التجارية بحسن نية مالكًا لها، ولا تجوز المنازعة في ملكية العلامة متى اقترن تسجيل العلامة باستعمالها مدة خمس سنوات على الأقل دون
- Article 8
The Article requires the application to register a mark to be submitted to the competent authority on the prescribed form, by the interested party or his representative, under the conditions of the Implementing Regulations.
يقدم طلب تسجيل العلامة إلى الجهة المختصة بتسجيل العلامات التجارية على الاستمارة المعدة لذلك من صاحب الشأن أو من ينوب عنه، وفقًا للشروط التي تحددها اللائحة التنف
- Article 10
The Article requires all applications submitted at the same time to register the same or close marks for one class to be suspended until a certified waiver is submitted in favor of one applicant or a final judgment is issued.
إذا طلب شخصان أو أكثر في وقت واحد تسجيل العلامة ذاتها أو علامات متقاربة أو متشابهة عن فئة واحدة من المنتجات أو الخدمات، وجب وقف جميع الطلبات إلى أن يقدم تنازل م
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.