H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Maliki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, participated in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Patents of the Gulf Cooperation Council States, held at the GCC General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh on 12 November 2025. The meeting brought together the undersecretaries of commerce and industry ministries from all member states.

The session was chaired by H.E. Ms. Marwa bint Baddah Aljaidan, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait, which currently holds the chairmanship of the committee. Also attending was H.E. Mr. Ahmed bin Nasser Almarshadi, Director General of the Patent Office at the GCC Secretariat General.

Discussions focused on strengthening joint GCC efforts in patents, promoting innovation, supporting economic and knowledge growth, and safeguarding intellectual property rights.

The participants reviewed key agenda items, including Saudi Arabia’s proposal to define the Committee’s functions and establish a governance framework. They also considered initiatives for enforcing intellectual property rights, recent GCC cooperation developments, and future plans to enhance the intellectual property system and foster a robust patent environment, concluding with the necessary recommendations.