Intellectual property

A brand is the identity and the face value of a business in the public domain. Your brand is a creation which originated from your mind as an idea, you develop it in the form of a product, service, invention, design, software or anything that is unique to you and then give it a name which becomes a brand. This brand eventually generates financial benefits for your business and takes the form of an asset. Thus, your brand is born from your intellect and hence it is your Intellectual Property (“IP”).

IP plays a vital role in the strategic building of shareholder value in big companies and in the case of start-up companies it is even more significant, as often for companies the only asset to start with is their IP. Therefore, protection of IP is important so as to secure the moral and the financial benefits that are generated from IP-intensive assets. We assist our clients in not only identifying appropriate IP but also advise them on how to protect them to gain maximum advantage.

Much work remains in Oman to both strengthen the value and protection of IP rights. Our lawyers often assist in IP due diligence exercises, usually in relation to various M&A transactions, but also when businesses require an assessment of how intellectual property is captured and protected by the relevant company or business.

Furthermore, IP originators and owners are often unaware and rather relaxed in taking steps to enter in non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements to protect their trade secrets and as such IP issues lie hidden and come to light when a dispute or litigation arises and in most cases by then it is too late to mitigate damages. Our lawyers have experience in handling major IP litigation in different sectors.

SASLO had an opportunity to contribute a chapter on Intellectual Property in Oman in the Expert Guide for Intellectual Property. SASLO has also been recognised by Zubair Small Enterprise Center in Oman for training and empowering Omani Entrepreneurs in the areas relating to IP.

We assist our clients with the following:

• advising on the documentation work/procedures relating to and prior to registration of the trademarks;
• Advising on the copyrights matters and requirements and procedures for obtaining industrial designs, patents;
• Advising on assignment and licensing of trademarks;
• Drafting of legal notice/caution notice for infringement of intellectual property rights of various parties;
• Drafting of confidentiality agreements; and
• Conducting IP due diligence.