JEDDAH, 6 August — The Council of Ministers, which met here yesterday under the chairmanship of Prince Abdullah, the regent, approved new trademark rules and endorsed guidelines for signing cooperation agreements with other countries.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prince Abdullah emphasized the government’s efforts to boost development in all parts of the Kingdom and meet the requirements of citizens all over the country. “Ever since its formation, the Kingdom has been giving priority to the interests of its citizens,” the regent stated.
“The Cabinet reiterated the government’s desire to promote development in every nook and corner of the country,” State Minister and Acting Information Minister Dr. Madani Allaki told the Saudi Press Agency.
He said the Cabinet also reviewed the Kingdom’s humanitarian assistance to victims of natural calamities around the world.
The Cabinet authorized Interior Minister Prince Naif or his deputy to sign an agreement with Yemen on organizing border posts.
The meeting approved a draft model for concluding agreements with other countries in economic, commercial, investment, educational, scientific, technical, cultural, information, tourism, youth welfare and sports fields.
The Kingdom will take into consideration various aspects of cooperation, the prevailing situation at the time of negotiations and its interests while concluding bilateral agreements, the Cabinet said.
The new trademark law approved by the Cabinet stipulates that the names, words, numbers and forms used in the trademark s be clear and differentiate an industrial product from a commercial one.
“Any words or models or pictures that violate Islamic teachings as well as flags and emblems of the Kingdom and other countries — which are given the same treatment — will not be allowed to be used in trademarks,” Allaki said.
The law allows a person to lodge his complaint to the commerce minister within 60 days after the rejection of his application for trademark.
If rejected by the minister the applicant can approach the court of grievances within 30 days.
The new law comes into effect 90 days after its publication in the official gazette. It will then nullify the existing law, which was issued two decades ago.
The Cabinet meeting approved the final accounts of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development for 1999.
It appointed Walid ibn Abdul Kareem Al-Khereiji, who is now director general of the Agriculture and Water Department in the Makkah region, as minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry, and Dr. Ali ibn Siddique Al-Hekami as assistant deputy minister for educational development.
