Davidson & Co, as part of their newsletter series are pleased to provide you with an overview to trademark registration in the UAE, our specialist team are on hand to provide more information and to answer questions not only on trademarks but on any other aspect of doing business in the UAE.
Trademarks are a valuable form of intellectual property and stand as a distinctive indicator, which all businesses or legal entities should have as a necessity, in order to identify their products or services to their consumers. A trademark enables a company to distinguish its particular products or services from those offered by other businesses.
Trademarks offer a very effective marketing tool for new and existing business owners who wish to announce their presence in the market and establish themselves as reputable companies. Moreover, trademarks can help increase exposure in the marketplace and set a company apart from its competitors. There is, therefore, a great deal of importance placed on businesses and business owners to have their trademark(s) registered, securing protection of their mark(s) and guaranteeing the exclusive right of use when identifying products or services.
The UAE Government has taken commendable steps to put in place robust trademark laws, which allows a trademark to be registered for renewable periods of 10 years* and secures its validity across all seven Emirates of the UAE. The current approach towards the protection of trademarks and the mechanisms through which such protection is carried out in the UAE are very similar to those used in Western jurisdictions such as the International Classification of registering a ‘product’ or ‘service’.
To ensure businesses and business owners the best chance of having their trademark successfully registered, Davidson & Co recommend that a pre-filing advice is obtained in respect of the registrability of the proposed trademark, the products and services to be claimed and searching for potentially conflicting earlier registered marks.
Businesses that wish to register their trademark in the UAE will require a select suite of documents all of which Davidson & Co can advise upon and assist with obtaining. The documentation will vary based on the ‘product’ or ‘service’ covered by  trademark registration. Furthermore, all products and services are divided into distinct ‘classes’. The overall cost will therefore depend on the products or services that require secure registration and which class they fall into.
Davidson & Co hold a wealth of knowledge and experience in relation to trademark registration in the UAE and can offer tailored services and advice to all businesses and business owners looking to register their trademark in the UAE.
*renewable periods may vary depending on the ‘product’ or ‘service’
