Doha: The world marks World Intellectual Property Day on April 26 under the theme "IP and Sport: Ready, Set, Innovate," highlighting sport as a dynamic arena for innovation, from smart equipment and performance technologies to branding, broadcasting rights, and sports design.
According to Qatar News Agency, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) underscored the vital role of IP protection in supporting creators and advancing knowledge-based economies through global systems for rights registration, technology transfer, and knowledge exchange.
In Qatar, the IP ecosystem has seen notable progress in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, with strengthened legislation and expanded digital services enhancing the business environment and attracting investment. Since joining WIPO in 1976, Qatar has signed more than 13 international treaties.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently launched five new electronic services covering copyright registration, certification requests, record extracts, amendments, and ownership transfers.
Director of the IP Protection Department at the Ministry, Abdulbasit Taleb Al Ajji, told QNA that the Ministry is implementing a package of initiatives, most notably the preparation of the national intellectual property and innovation strategy, aimed at developing an integrated system to support innovation, enhance the business and investment environment, and strengthen cooperation with international organizations, particularly WIPO, to deliver training and capacity-building programs in innovation and technology transfer.
He added that efforts include supporting Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC), enhancing patent search services, and improving regulatory frameworks in line with international best practices, alongside awareness initiatives targeting students and broader community engagement.
According to Al Ajji, trademark applications reached 155,990, patent filings 1,049, and copyright applications 2,159. Between 2025 and Q1 2026, authorities reviewed 233 trademark oppositions, handled 86 IP-related cases, and conducted 4,945 inspections resulting in 155 violations.
He noted ongoing legal updates, including new regulations for industrial designs and revisions to copyright and patent laws in cooperation with WIPO.
Al Ajji highlighted key achievements, including launching industrial design registration, digital copyright services, a national TISC network, and initiatives such as IP clinics in partnership with Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council and awareness programs with Qatar Development Bank and the Ministry of Education.
Regionally, Qatar strengthened cooperation by recognizing the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property as an international search authority, partnering with Korea on national IP strategy development, and joining the Nice Classification and Madrid Protocol for trademarks, while contributing to GCC patent strategies and supporting the adoption of Arabic in international IP agreements.
Director of the Intellectual Property Protection Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Abdulbasit Taleb Al Ajji affirmed the Ministry's commitment to building strategic partnerships with leading international and local entities, including WIPO, INTA, the GCC Patent Office, the European Patent Office (EPO), French INPI, and the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, alongside national institutions such as Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council, Qatar Scientific Club, Doha University, Sidra Medicine, the General Authority of Customs, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Media City Qatar, Qatar Museums, and IP agents.
Dr. Ahmed Issa Al Sulaiti, Lecturer at the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, told QNA that Qatar places strong emphasis on intellectual property as a cornerstone of a knowledge-based economy, fostering innovation, research, and technological advancement.
He noted that Qatar climbed 22 places in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII) issued by WIPO, reaching 48th globally from 70th in 2020, reflecting sustained investment in innovation and continuous legal and institutional development.
Al Sulaiti highlighted Qatar's 2024 accession to the Madrid Protocol, describing it as a strategic step aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, enhancing global integration and enabling streamlined international trademark registration through a single WIPO application.
He added that further progress could include joining the Riyadh Design Law Treaty, adopted in 2024, to simplify design protection procedures and reduce administrative burdens, particularly for small and medium enterprises.
He stressed that intellectual property should be viewed beyond a technical field, as a key driver of sustainable development, job creation, investment growth, and economic diversification, calling for expanded education, capacity building, and early awareness initiatives.
Al Sulaiti also underscored the establishment of Qatar's Investment and Trade Court as a milestone, granting it exclusive jurisdiction over IP disputes, which strengthens investor confidence through a specialized legal framework.
He concluded that intellectual property is not only legal protection but a strategic tool for innovation, governance, and economic participation, essential to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 and building a diversified, knowledge-based economy.
Experts noted that intellectual property plays a vital role in safeguarding creativity, driving innovation, supporting fair competition, and enabling knowledge transfer, transforming ideas into marketable products and services for the benefit of society.