Egypt - Favorable decision in respect of oppositions filed against the above trademarks: The Jenaklis Vineyards Drinks Co., a Shareholding Egyptian company, filed the above applications in classes 33 and 35, which were published for opposition on 6 March 2006. Acting on behalf of The Scotch Whisky Association, we opposed the mentioned applications, our argument based on the following: The above devices that include a man playing a musical instrument are confusingly similar to the trademark "DEWAR'S SCOTCH WHISKY" in the name of "Bacardi & Company Limited". This misleads the consumers and confuses them to the real origin of this product. The word "Scott" is an expression used to describe the people living in Scotland, and is similar to the word "Scotch" and "Scotland" which is inherently confusing to the public regarding the origin of the product. The use of the device of the man playing a musical instrument wearing the traditional costume of Scotland, in addition to the use of the word "Scott" under the name of "Black Scott", would certainly make the public believe that the real origin of the product is Scotland, which is incorrect. The Opposition Committee issued its decision in our client's favor and stopped the registration of the trademarks which were the object of these oppositions considering them non- registrable. For more information please write to egypt@qumsieh.com   GCC - Payment of annuities Annuities of all patents filed at the GCC Patent Office, whether granted or pending, are due for payment, renewal fees are to be paid at the beginning of each year regardless of the filing or priority date, the payment must be paid until 31 March 2007, with an additional grace period with penalty until 30 June 2007. Failing to renew the patent within the above-mentioned periods will result in the lapse of it. GCC - New Requirements for Patent Applications The GCC Patent Office has issued new regulations as of the beginning of this year in which it advises that new applications must be made and submitted on 2 CDs, one for the Arabic text and the second for the text in the original language.List of goods, in English and Arabic, must be given in specific details, even though Iraq follows the International Classification; each class is divided into sub-classes, and the sub-class must be named in each application. Multi-class applications are possible. It is worth mentioning that all GCC patent applications are referred to the Australian Patent Office for examination. For more information about GCC patent applications, please contact patents@qumsieh.com   Algeria - Increase in official fees as of January 2007 This is to advise that official fees have been doubled in respect of patents and trademarks. Our revised schedule of charges to reflect the increase in government charges is available upon your request at algeria@qumsieh.com   West Bank - Increase in official fees as of January 2007 After a strike of nine months, now the Trademark office has commenced its operations as of 22 January 2007. If you need any further information on this subject, please contact at west-bank@qumsieh.com   Saudi Arabia - Patent Office payment of annuities Annuities of all patents filed at the Saudi Arabia Patent Office are due for payment regardless whether they are granted or not, the renewals are to be made at the beginning of each year regardless of the filing or priority date; payments must be paid until 31 March 2007, with an additional grace period with penalty until 30 June 2007. Failing to renew your patent within the above-mentioned periods will result in the lapse of the patent.   Bahrain, Qatar and Oman – Change of our address This is to advise that we have changed our contact details in the above 3 jurisdictions as follows:   Bahrain Qatar Oman P. O. Box 75006 Manama Bahrain +962-6-5865 731 +962-6-5865 736 C/O Moufak El Yafi P. O. Box 6879 Doha, Qatar +962-6-5865 731 +962-6-5865 736 P. O. Box 502 Postal Code 112 Muscat, Oman +962-6-5865 731 +962-6-5865 736 Kindly amend your records accordingly.   If you have any question regarding any of the above, please refer to news@qumsieh.com