Question 1

How do I register a trademark in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

Trademarks in the UAE are registered with the UAE Ministry of Economy. The process involves filing the application (with class designations under the Nice Classification), formal examination, publication in the Trademark Journal, an opposition period of 30 days, and registration upon successful clearance. The full process typically takes 8 to 14 months from filing. Madrid Protocol applications can also designate the UAE since 2021. We file directly through the UAE Ministry portal and through international filing routes — and we run pre-filing clearance searches to flag conflict risks before commitment.

Question 2

How does patent protection work in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

UAE patents are granted by the UAE Ministry of Economy under Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on the Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property. Patents are granted for inventions that are new, involve an inventive step, and are industrially applicable. Filing can be direct, through the GCC Patent Office (although note the GCC route is being wound down), or through a PCT national-phase entry. Examination is substantive, and the typical pendency from filing to grant is 3 to 5 years. We file and prosecute patents across UAE jurisdictions and represent clients in patent oppositions and infringement actions.

Question 3

Can I enforce IP rights through both civil and criminal action?

Accepted Answer

Yes. UAE IP enforcement uniquely combines civil and criminal pathways. Civil actions before the IP courts can deliver injunctions, damages and account-of-profits. Criminal actions, initiated through complaint to the relevant police anti-economic crimes department, can deliver prosecution with custodial penalties for counterfeiters and serious infringers. UAE Customs is also empowered to seize counterfeit goods at port-of-entry. The most effective enforcement strategies combine all three — administrative seizure to disrupt supply, civil action to claim damages and an injunction, and criminal action to deliver deterrence and recover seized goods.

Question 4

What is the UAE PDPL and how does it differ from GDPR?

Accepted Answer

The UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), enacted as Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021, is the federal data protection regime applicable to onshore UAE entities (with carve-outs for DIFC and ADGM, which have their own GDPR-aligned regimes). The PDPL borrows much of its architecture from GDPR — lawful basis, data subject rights, processing security, breach notification — but with material differences in territorial scope, the role of the regulator (UAE Data Office), and enforcement priorities. We help clients map their existing GDPR programmes onto the UAE PDPL and the DIFC/ADGM equivalents to avoid duplicate compliance overhead.

Question 5

Do you advise on IP-monetisation and licensing?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and increasingly. Beyond traditional registration and enforcement, we advise on IP-monetisation strategy: trademark licensing and franchising, patent licensing and pool participation, copyright licensing for digital and broadcast distribution, brand-extension structures, IP-securitisation (where the IP rights are pledged as collateral for borrowing), and IP holding-company structures designed for tax efficiency and protection. Many of our most consequential mandates have been structuring an IP estate so it can support both protective enforcement and revenue-generating licensing.

Question 6

Can copyright be enforced for digital and online infringement?

Accepted Answer

Yes. UAE copyright is governed by Federal Law No. 38 of 2021, which provides for both civil and criminal enforcement of copyright in literary, artistic, software and digital works. Online infringement (unauthorised streaming, software piracy, content scraping) can be addressed through takedown notices to platform operators, civil injunctions and damages claims, and — for commercial-scale infringement — criminal action through the police anti-cybercrime departments. We have acted on a number of high-value digital-copyright matters, including against UAE-based and offshore infringers.

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