April 2016 Issue 87 A New Decree Regulates Products Exportation in Egypt Qatar Issues Law for Insurance Firms 1 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
IN THIS ISSUE A New Decree Regulates Products Exportation in Egypt A Law on Trade Import Being Amended in Qatar 3 6 Qatar Issues Law for Insurance Firms New Law Permits Residency Transfer without Consent from Sponsor 4 7 5 Increase in Official Fees for Publication of Trademark Renewal in Saudi Arabia 8 Turkey Adopts Law on Privacy of Personal Information 2 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
A New Decree Regulates Products Exportation in Egypt CAIRO- The Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry has recently issued a Decree No. (43) amending the rules regulating the registration of factories and companies (owning a trademark) eligible to export their products to Egypt. The Decree, which came into effect on March 15th, 2016; requires creating a register at the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) for factories and/or companies (owning a trademark) wishing to export certain products to Egypt The Decree has listed certain products which shall not be allowed to enter the country unless their producing factories or companies owning the trademark in any country are registered at the GOEIC. One of the major stipulated development is the requirement of a certificate for applying a quality system to accept the registration application along with other documents mentioned in the Decree. The quality certificate must be issued by one of the recognized bodies by either; the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) or an Egyptian or foreign governmental entity approved by the competent Minister of Foreign Trade. For further inquiries on the Decree, requested documents, or any further clarification, please contact our office in Egypt: taglegal.egypt@tag-legal.com Source: TAG-Legal News 3 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
Qatar Issues Law for Insurance Firms DOHA- Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani has issued decision No. (1) of 2016 on executive instructions for the insurance sector and principles of governance of insurance companies, pursuant to the Provisions of Qatar Central Bank Act and the regulation of financial institutions promulgated by Law No. (13) of 2012. The new law stipulates that listed insurance companies must have a capital of above QR 100 million or a risk-based capital, while unlisted insurance companies must have a capital higher than the figure set by the QCB the risk-based capital. Branches of insurance companies must deposit QR 35m. Business controls The law defines the business controls for insurance companies and other issues, including the notifications and precautionary reports. It also includes provisions related to senior owners and changes in ownership, supervision of the group converting business, stop insurance business and the transition period for the overall application. The instructions are the first of their kind which regulate the insurance industry in the state comprehensively, QCB said in a statement. They have been issued in accordance with basic principles of insurance issued by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors. The new instructions will go into force in April. All insurance, reinsurance, Takaful and retakaful companies as well as branches of foreign companies in the country are required to adjust their positions according to the decision. Source: Bq-magazine.com 4 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
Increase in Official Fees for Publication of Trademark Renewal in Saudi Arabia RIYADH The Saudi Trademark Office has applied an e-filing system for trademarks renewal applications. Accordingly, the Trademark Office announced that an increase in the official e-publication fees for renewal will be applied as from March 24, 2016. The e-publication fees of renewal were amended from SR 300 (US$ 80.--) to SR 3000 (US$ 800.--). Source: Agip.com 5 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
A Law on Trade Import Being Amended in Qatar DOHA- A law which has been in force since 2002 regulating the business of commercial agents is being amended and expected to be implemented soon. Once in effect, the legislation would give the right to traders who are registered in the Commercial Register to import goods directly even if those goods have an authorized local agent. At its weekly meeting on April 7, 2016, the State Cabinet took the necessary steps to issue this draft law which amends some provisions of Law No. 8 of 2002 regulating the Business of Commercial Agents. The Cabinet was briefed on the recommendations of the Advisory Council about the draft law, reports QNA. According to the amended law, however, the Minister of Economy and Commerce could impose conditions and controls relating to the principle of reciprocity if traders import goods for which there are authorized local distributors. The authorized agent (of goods and services) could get back to the Principal to get commission in accordance with the terms of their mutual agreement if the goods being imported by a third party are for trading purposes. The agent would, however, have no right to claim commission on goods that are imported for personal use or for re-export. The draft law defines a commercial agent as the one who commits him-self, under a distribution contract, to promote and distribute goods and services for industrial or commercial establishments provided that he is the sole distributor of those goods or services. The Cabinet could, upon recommendations of the Minister of Economy and Commerce, exempt some goods from the scope of the amended law. A competent directorate may also allow the establishment of workshops for repair, etc., by non-agents of some goods that have authorized local agents. Rules regarding this will be issued by the Minister. Source: Thepeninsulaqatar.com 6 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
New Law Permits Residency Transfer without Consent from Sponsor KUWAIT CITY- A recently issued decision by the Public Manpower Authority, expatriate laborers can transfer their residencies to other employers without prior approval from their employers, after three years of employment. This implies that expats can change their employers after completing three years of service, without having to obtain their approval. This three-year decision is the first step towards easing the controls of Kafeel system (sponsorship system), which Gulf States have pledged to abolish to international human rights organizations. Source: visit-kuwait.com Till date, transfer of residence permits has been linked to approval of current employers, or only after proving unfair treatment and non-payment of salary to the Authority. 7 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
Turkey Adopts Law on Privacy of Personal Information ANKARA- A draft law on protection of personal information of citizens went into effect on April 8, 2016 after being approved by the Turkish Parliament. According to the new law, personal information of an individual will not be used without open consent of the concerned individual. Individuals personal information will not be shared with international parties unless it is for the benefit of Turkey and the individual himself. The law would allow for the gathering of personal information by the state only when it is in the best interest of the public that such information be gathered and only as long as there is legislation in place ensuring the confidentiality of such data. The bill would grant citizens the right to know whether at any point personal information about them had been recorded; the right to review any such data; and the right to demand correction in cases of erroneous, mistaken or inadequate data. The new law updated the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Law on Acquisition of Information and the Law on the Protection of Personal Data to bring them in line with the Constitution. Source: turkishminute.com 8 TAG-Legal tag-legal.com
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