MUSCAT: The number of patent applications by individuals and companies in the Sultanate in 2017 stood at 391, compared to 369 in 2016.
The patent applications covered chemical installations, pharmacy, mechanics, electronics, IT&C and oil & gas technologies.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) seeks to increase the number of applications submitted to it, especially by Omani investors. In this connection, the Intellectual Property Department at the MoCI developed a plan for organising a number of awareness raising seminars at the universities, colleges and industrial estates about the importance of protecting inventions and creative ideas.
Rasha Hamdi Abdul Hameed, Patency Expert at the Intellectual Property Department, said that MoCI seeks to provide the competitive environment for the private sector to play an active role in the growth of the national economy.
The department plans to organise a number of seminars and lectures to highlight the role played by the ministry in this area and encourage researchers and workers at the research and scientific organisations, as well as other beneficiaries to submit and implement their creative ideas and project.
The seminars will also urge them to facilitate the transfer of technology from the scientific and research organisations to industrial sectors.
She added that the aim of registering patency is to protect the inventor against manipulation of his or her invention by others without prior licence. The patency certificate is an official certificate issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to protect the inventor’s right. — ONA
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