Intellectual property rights in Dubai are protected through a series of international treaties and conventions. Dubai is one of the regions that take very seriously issues concerning intellectual property rights and privacy. Companies opened in Dubai can rely on intellectual property laws, in order to secure their trademarks, logos, inventions as well as any kind of original product such as artistic works, or industrial design. If you rely on one of our lawyers in Dubai, you will not have to go by yourself through the comprehensive legislation for breaches in intellectual property rights and infringement.
Our law firm in Dubai can assist you in intellectual property protection matters and can help you and your company register any patents, trademarks or other intellectual works.
With the help of intellectual property law firms in Dubai, both local and foreign citizens and companies can obtain the protection of their work.
Laws governing intellectual protection in Dubai
Dubai has entered international treaties for the protection of intellectual property and it is a member of international bodies like the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations, as well as others.
Dubai has an extensive legal framework for the protection of intellectual rights, for local as well as for foreign investment, such as the federal law on combating commercial fraud or the federal law on infringement. Main intellectual property protection laws in the UAE and Dubai include the Federal Law on Trademarks and the Federal Law on the Protection of Intellectual Works and Copyright.
The Department of Economic Development in Dubai has created a special division, the Commercial Protection Division, entrusted with combating commercial fraud and trademark infringement and counterfeiting. A special Intellectual Property Protection Division also functions within this special commercial protection sector.
Individuals who want to report a case of trademark infringement in Dubai can do so by filing a complaint regarding the case with the Commercial Protection Division. Depending on the gravity of the situation the case might be brought in court. The complaint letter is filed in Arabic and the individual must also provide clear evidence for the infringement or a list of the infringements as well as a copy of a valid trademark certificate.
Our lawyers in Dubai can help you refer to a specific law for the protection of intellectual property and take legal action if you have been a victim of infringement or fraud. If you are looking for intellectual property law firms in Dubai, you can also rely on our specialists who can help you in various matters, including immigration related ones.
If you are an artist or sportsperson, you can apply for a Dubai freelance visa. These are two of the sectors covered by this new type of immigration option for those interested in moving to the Emirates. Even so, you must meet certain conditions that have to do with experience and prizes, however, these are easy to prove once you find out that you meet the criteria.
Trademark and copyright protection in Dubai
Whenever an original or innovating product is created by an individual or company, the Dubai legal framework provides rigorous regulations in order to protect intellectual property and acknowledge the merit of the creators. Depending on the type of innovative work there are several categories of documents which may certify the intellectual property acknowledged by the law. As such, patents in Dubai function as an official record of inventions or of any other type of tangible objects such as technological tools that show important traits of originality. Secondly, the copyrights refer to any kind of written original material as well as to products of artistic expression. Through copyright you may obtain international recognition of the authorship of books, articles but also of art works or music. Finally trademarks are a special category which allows a successful commercial identity to be protected against its unauthorized copying or reproduction.
Trademark registrations in Dubai have a validity period of ten years and the application can be renewed afterward for the same period. Our Dubai lawyers can tell you more about filing requirements when submitting an application for a trademark, service mark or collective mark. Certain fees are applicable for trademark registration and renewal. Illegal or unauthorized use of a trademark by a third party is punishable by law in Dubai.
Copyright in the UAE is protected by law and these types of works, that require protection, are submitted to the Ministry of Information and Culture. Authors of literary, artistic and scientific works can protect their creations. The protection lasts the lifetime of the author, plus 50 years after his death. Any unauthorized publication of an author’s work is punishable by imprisonment and hefty fines.
Patents in Dubai
The UAE intellectual property legislation also covers the registration of rights over patents. These fall under the governance of Federal Law No. 44/1992 which provides for Industrial Regulation and Protection of Patents, Industrial Drawings, and Designs which was replaced by a new and more modern law in 2002, which was amended in 2006.
Patents are very important in Dubai as research and development has become one of the important branches of the economy.
Patents rely on new inventions for industrial use, however, they can also target other sectors, among which:
- biology through the creation of new plants and ways to produce them,
- medical technology,
- mathematics.
When seeking to obtain various rights related to the use and registration of patents, it is best to use the services of intellectual property law firms in Dubai.
When it comes to industrial designs, there are several aspects to consider upon their registration. Among these, one should know that these must meet specific requirements in order to be considered intellectual property work, such as:
- it can be represented through lines, colors or combination of these and can be used as a pattern in the creation of industrial products,
- it can have a 3-D form and can be used in the creation of industrial products or other goods of general use.
Industrial designs need to be registered with the UAE government.
Our law firm in Dubai can assist those who want to have their intellectual property rights recognized in the UAE.
Intellectual property rights in Dubai free zones
Dubai is renowned worldwide for its free zones and intellectual property rights are also recognized here. Moreover, the Dubai International Financial Centre Free Zone (DIFC) has enabled its own law on the protection of creative work in 2019.
Through this law, the free zone authorities want to enhance the protection on innovative work, as well as to better enforce intellectual property rights obtained by companies and individuals operating, respectively working here.
When seeking to register any trademark, copyright, or even industrial design in DIFC, you can use the services of intellectual property law firms in Dubai, not necessarily in the free zone, as the local law comes to complete the existing national legislation.
Steps in obtaining intellectual property rights in Dubai
No matter the type of intellectual property rights you want to obtain in Dubai, the procedure is the nearly the same in terms of document to be filed with the local authorities. Among these, we mention the following:
- the application form which is different for trademarks, copyrights, patents and industrial designs,
- in the case of trademark registration, a graphic representation is required,
- drawings and graphic representations are also required in the case of industrial designs,
- information about the applicant must also be filed.
In the case of natural persons, an ID or passport will serve as identification, however, in the case of companies, the Articles of Association and Certificate of Registration must be provided.
When using the services of an intellectual property law firm in Dubai, a power of attorney must be provided upon registration.
Statistics on intellectual property rights in the UAE
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), at the level of 2019:
- a total number of 33,743 trademark applications were filed in the UAE,
- there were also 791 patent registration requests,
- there was also a total number of 1,158 industrial design applications.
If you need assistance in filing a request for the registration of a trademark or other creative work, you can rely on intellectual property law firms in Dubai. We also invite you to watch a video below:
Why choose our law firm in Dubai
The application for the registration of a trademark or other intellectual property rights, a law firm can be of great help especially when it comes to preparing the documents required by the Registrar. Considering that most of the procedures are lengthy because of all the verifications that must be made, our Dubai lawyers can check the status of your application and provide updated information on a regular basis.
We can also assist in intellectual property disputes, such as trademark infringements or oppositions, as these are some of the most common litigation cases related to such rights.
Patents, designs and domain names can also be protected in Dubai. If you want to know more about how you can protect any intellectual property in Dubai and what legal action you can take in case of unauthorized use, you may contact our law firm in Dubai.