Intellectual Property Law
Said Ibrahim Ambusaidi Advocates (SIA) in Muscat protects intellectual property rights across Oman: registering and defending trademarks, protecting copyright and neighbouring rights under the Law of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, Royal Decree 65/2008, and industrial property rights including patents and designs under the Industrial Property Rights Law, Royal Decree 67/2008, and litigating infringement disputes.
What we handle
- Trademark registration and opposition to confusingly similar marks
- Trademark infringement and counterfeiting disputes
- Copyright and neighbouring rights protection for works
- Patents, industrial designs, and trade secrets
- Licensing, technology transfer, and franchise agreements
- Trade name protection and unfair competition claims
How do we protect your trademark?
A trademark is the most valuable reputation an establishment accumulates, and its protection starts with registration before the competent directorate of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. We first check your mark's registrability and search the register for confusingly similar marks, then file the application in the classes that match your activity, follow it to certificate, and oppose third-party applications that imitate your mark.
When infringement occurs, by counterfeiting your mark or using something confusingly similar that misleads your public, we move on both tracks: asking the competent authorities to stop the infringement and seize counterfeit goods, and claiming compensation for the damage you suffered. Prior registration is your first weapon here; an unregistered mark is defended with weaker tools.
What does copyright law protect?
The Law of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, Royal Decree 65/2008, protects creative works from the moment of their creation: books, articles, software, artistic, musical, and audiovisual works, and more, granting authors moral and economic rights, with neighbouring rights for performers, producers of recordings, and broadcasting organisations.
We help you document your rights and establish priority, draft publishing, licensing, and assignment contracts that preserve your economic exploitation of the work, and pursue infringers who copy or exploit it without consent, seeking cessation and compensation. We also alert businesses to the other side of the coin: verifying the licences of the works and software they use before finding themselves cast as the infringer.
How are inventions, designs, and trade secrets protected?
The Industrial Property Rights Law, Royal Decree 67/2008, governs the protection of patents, utility models, industrial designs, trade secrets, and the rights connected to them, setting out registration procedures, their effects, and protection terms.
We accompany you along that road: assessing whether your innovation qualifies for protection, following registration before the competent authorities and with registration agents where needed, drafting the confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements that protect your trade secrets with employees and partners, and the licensing and technology transfer contracts that turn your innovation into income. If your right is infringed, we pursue the administrative and judicial claims for cessation and compensation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register a trademark in Oman?
The application is filed with the competent directorate of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, identifying the mark and the classes in which it will be used. It passes through examination and publication, allowing third parties to oppose, before the registration certificate issues. We run the prior similarity search, prepare the application in the correct classes, and follow it, answering any opposition, through to registration.
Someone is using a mark similar to mine. What can I do?
Document the infringement first: photographs of the products or advertising, dates observed, and points of sale. If your mark is registered, we ask the competent authorities to stop the infringement and seize counterfeits, and we claim compensation for the damage. If it is not registered, we file for registration immediately and pursue protection through unfair competition rules. Do not delay: inaction can be read as acceptance of the situation.
Does copyright require registration to be protected?
Protection attaches to a work upon its creation under the Law of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, Royal Decree 65/2008, without depending on any formality. We nevertheless advise documenting the date of creation and your authorship through practical means that ease proof in a dispute, and we guide you to the fittest for your work, from deposit to contractual documentation in your agreements with others.
How much does an IP lawyer cost in Muscat?
Fees vary with the service: a trademark filing, an opposition, a licensing agreement, or an infringement claim. We start with a free first consultation by phone or WhatsApp on +968 9706 3030 to understand your right and what threatens it, then give you a clear written fee proposal before work begins. We serve rights holders, individuals and companies alike, across all governorates of Oman.
Your first consultation is free
Describe your matter on WhatsApp or by phone, and we will explain your legal position before any commitment.