Intellectual property Dubai UAE

Ministry of Economy is the competent authority to register and protect intellectual property in the UAE. You can register a trademark, copyright and patent through the ministry’s website

Trademarks

According to Federal Decree Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks, a trademark is any distinguished form of names, words, signatures, letters, figures, graphics, logos, titles, hallmarks, seals, pictures, patterns, announcements, packs or any other marks or group of marks, if they were used or intended to be used either to distinguish goods, products or services from whatever sources, or to indicate that certain services, goods or products belong to the owner of the trademark, because of their provision, manufacturing, selection or trading. The voice accompanying a trademark is considered a part of it.

Registration of a trademark

Ministry of Economy is the competent authority to register trademarks in the UAE. To register a trademark, customer can submit an online application via the ministry’s website. Registration documents include:

• Trademark logo

• A copy of the commercial licence

• Power of Attorney

• Priority document

• Passport copy

• Other attachments.

• Kindly read the user manual for trademarks on the website of Ministry of Economy.

   

  Who can register a trademark?

  According to the above law, the following persons can register their trademarks:

• The UAE citizens and natural and artificial persons practising any commercial, industrial, professional or service business

• Foreigners and natural and artificial persons practising any commercial, industrial, professional or service business

• Foreigners and natural and artificial persons practising any commercial, industrial, professional or service business in any country on basis of reciprocity

• Other artificial persons.

Copyrights

According to Federal Law No. 38 of 2021 on Copyrights and Neighboring Rights, an intellectual work is any original work in the areas of literature, arts or science, whatever its description, form of expression, significance or purpose. The following intellectual works are protected under copyrights law:

1. Books, booklets, articles and other literature

2. Computer software and applications, databases and similar works defined in a decision to be issued by the Minister of Economy

3. Lectures, speeches, sermons and other works of similar nature

4. Plays, musicals and pantomimes

5. Musicals accompanied by dialogues and musicals which are not accompanied by dialogue

6. Audio and video works or audio-visual works

7. Architectural work and architectural plans and drawings

8. Drawings, paintings, sculptures, etchings, lithography, screen printing, reliefs and intaglio prints and other similar works of fine art

9. Photographic work and the likes

10. Works of applied art and plastic art

11. Charts, maps, plans, 3-D modelling for geographical and topographical applications and architectural designs etc.

12. Derivative works, subject to the protection afforded to the work(s) upon which they are based. The protection shall extend to the title of the work, if created, as well as the creative concept devised for broadcast material.

Intellectual work registration

Ministry of Economy is the competent authority to register intellectual works in the UAE. To register intellectual works, you can submit an online application via the ministry’s website.

Duration of protection

According to Article 20 of Federal Law No. 7 of 2002 on Copyrights and related rights, the economic rights of the author under this Law shall be protected for the duration of his life plus 50 years starting from the first day of the calendar year following his death. Economic rights of applied art works expires after 25 years, which start from the first day of the calendar year following their first publication.