RIYADH/DAMMAM, November 27— Authorities have started conducting inquiries on a Kuwaiti flour company’s charge against a Saudi company of infringing on its trade mark.

The Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries allege that a Saudi company copied the Kuwaiti company’s trade mark using the same color and most of the details to the extent that ordinary consumers would not notice the difference.

The Kuwaiti company further charges that the packets of flour marketed by the Saudi company do not display the name of the country where the flour was manufactured.

An official at the Kuwaiti company said that the objectionable practice was drawn to the attention of the company’s management by a relative of the official who visited the Kingdom. Immediately the company made inquiries about the matter in the Kingdom’s markets and finally decided to sue the Saudi company for compensation.

Abdul Ali Al-Ali, director general of the department to combat commercial fraud in the Commerce Ministry, said a committee will investigate the complaint and take all necessary action against the erring party if the charges are proved true.

According to the Saudi Customs Department, flour from Kuwait is exempted from duty only if it is imported for personal use while the commercial import carries a 100 percent duty.

This is to protect the interests of the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills which manufactures flour and enables it withstand the challenges posed by the foreign companies.

A source at the Dammam branch of the Commerce Ministry said it has received complaints from people about spurious flour being marketed in the Eastern Province. Several quantities of the product have been seized from the markets but the source of the product has not yet been discovered, the source added.

However, preliminary inquiries have revealed that the flour is widely available in Riyadh markets as well.

The director of the anti-fraud department in the Eastern Province, Muhammad Al-Shawi, said the officials of his department conducted regular inspections to guarantee the high standard of goods sold in the markets.