“US Chamber Releases 12th International IP Index: Some Arab Countries Show Progress”

By: Mohannad Barbarawi
Head of National Development Department/ AGIP

The US Chamber of Commerce recently released the 12th edition of the International Intellectual Property Index, which studies the IP framework of the world’s top 55 economies across 50 different metrics. The IP Index serves as a handbook for policymakers, providing them with insights into effective strategies for fostering innovation and creativity domestically.

Seven Arab countries were included in the index study: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to the index, Saudi Arabia showed the most significant improvement in overall score, increasing by 6.04% compared to last year, surpassing all other countries. This progress  can be attributed to their continuous enhancement of IP policies and strategies.

In the trademark, related rights, and limitations category, Saudi Arabia and the UAE scored the highest among all Arab countries, with 75% and 68.75%, respectively. The report highlights the efforts of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), which seized over 12 million infringing items and successfully removed more than 60,000 ecommerce ads or infringing content during 2022, contributing significantly to the increased score. Saudi Arabia's commitment to improving its intellectual property environment is further evident in the latest statistics released in April of this year by SAIP, where they seized over 41 million infringing items and took down more than 3,317 websites for violating intellectual property rights during 2023, potentially boosting their score in the 13th edition of the index.

Additionally, the report highlighted some of the UAE’s strengths, including their new trademark law, which was published in 2021, and their accession to the Madrid Protocol. During this year, the UAE continued on the path of improving its IP ecosystem by launching 11 initiatives in various fields of intellectual property in February, covering key economic and creative sectors of the country. These initiatives aim to enhance the country's transition into a knowledge and innovation economy and to develop a supportive national environment for intellectual property, which may further increase the UAE’s score next year.

Moreover, Morocco achieved the highest ranking in overall score among all Arab countries, with a score of 62.76%, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, and Algeria. This achievement can be attributed to various factors, including their accession to the Singapore Treaty and Geneva Act, the launch of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC), and the launch of an IP Marketplace to facilitate the commercialization and licensing of patents.

In summary, there has been a noticeable improvement for some Arab countries in their intellectual property frameworks, fostering innovation and protecting intellectual rights.