UAE Trademark Registration

World class infrastructure and business environment internationally attracts entrepreneurs into the UAE. This attraction of talent into the region, invites competition with it, which requires for companies to protect their personal brand from being replicated and potentially negatively impacting on their business. This is where the need for a trademark arises – registering your trademark identifies the rightful brand ownership and can protect and secure a company brand against copyright infringements.

PRO Partner Group can assist with UAE trademark registration, enabling companies to legally register their trademarks.

What is a Trademark?

A brand can trademark its name or logo, which could be used to identify their product or service. A trademark can be registered in the UAE on design elements of a companies products or services, attributing ownership of things such as a name, image, slogan, symbol, figure, and more.

Brand registration in the UAE is officially governed by the Ministry of Economy (MoE), who authorise the registration, renewals and cancellation of trademarks in the UAE.

What documents are required for registering a trademark in the UAE?

The documents required for the application include:

• Trademark type
• Trademark name
• Description of the trademark
• Translation of the trademark
• Class number (1-45 available classes)
• Product or service details
• Authorised manager or owner.
• Contact details
• Commercial Licence (if in the name of owner or an individual, this is not required)
• Power of attorney

How to register a Trademark in the UAE?

To register a trademark in the UAE companies need to follow a series of steps and processes.

1) Ensure the trademark is available

• Can be done online, through searching for the trademark through search tools.
• If already taken and being used, you will not be able to register.
• If not already taken or being used, you can proceed with the next steps.

2) Application form with the MoE

• To fill out an online application form on the MoE website, the company will need to login using UAE Pass.
• Select: e-Services > Trademark Services > Register Trademark (Start the service)
• Upload the required documents for the application.

3) Pay the fees for trademark registration

• When applying for trademark registration in the UAE, companies will be required to pay AED750.
• This is payable through the MoE website portal.

4) Application review from the MoE

• Assuming all information given is accurate, approval can typically be expected within 30 days.
• Any missing or incorrect information will result in a rejected application, which may be appealed or modified.

5) Publish announcement in official bulletin journal and 2 local Arabic-language papers

• Announcement in trademark journal and 2 local newspapers.
• To publish in the trademark bulletin journal there is a AED750 cost, payable to the MoE.
• Publishing in 2 of any of the following local Arabic newspapers:

- Al Bayan

- Al Fajr

- Al Ittihad

- Al Khaleej

- Al Wahda

- Al Watan

• There will also be a cost associated with publishing to these newspapers.
• After publishing, there is a 30-day period where objections to the trademark may be made, which would lead to a review (this usually takes 1-2 months, as the trademark journal is only published twice a month).

6) Receive the trademark registration certificate.

• Should there be no objections to the trademark registration by this point, the MoE will provide a certificate of registration for the trademark.
• The certificate includes the trademark registration number, owners name and a description of the product or service under trademark.

Trademark validity in the UAE

A trademark in the UAE, once registered, is valid for 10 years. This trademark protects and safeguards the company’s trademarked product or service within the UAE, but not internationally.

Once expired, the trademark will need to be renewed.

Trademark registration charges in the UAE

The costs associated with registering a trademark in the UAE are:

• AED750 along with the application to the MoE
• AED750 separately publishing the trademark in the official gazette journal.
• Translations
• Legal help
• Publishing in the 2 local newspapers (around AED472.5 per newspaper)
• AED5,000 final registration to be paid once the 30 days objection period ends.

There may be additional fees faced, in the form of fines, should payments be delayed:

• If there is a delay in paying for the registration, fines of AED100 per month delayed, with a maximum of AED1,000 annually.
• If there is a delay in paying the final registration fee, fines of AED1,000 per month delayed, with a maximum of AED10,000 annually.

Other things to consider when registering a UAE trademark

When registering a trademark in the UAE, there are certain limitations and restrictions that companies should be aware of, in terms of things that are prohibited from being associated with trademark. Some of these limitations as outlined by the MoE for UAE trademark may not contain:

• Names of other third parties (including translations of other trademarks, non-profit organisations or non-governmental organisations)
• Public symbols (such as nations flags)
• Things offensive against religion or public morals

How to renew Trademark registration in the UAE

Once a trademark’s registration has expired, there is a 3-month period where it may be renewed. For every month that renewal is delayed, there is a AED1,000 fine.

The process for renewing a trademark is similar to the registration process:

• Navigate to the MoE website
• Select: eServices > Trademark Services > Renew Registration of Trademark

The previous registration certificate will also need to be submitted when renewing trademark registration.

Once the renewal fee has been paid, the trademark registration renewal will be successful within 30 days.

Trademark renewal fees in the UAE

The cost for renewing a trademark registration is AED6,700.

How to cancel a Trademark registration in the UAE

A trademarks registration in the UAE, can be cancelled via the MoE website:

• eServices > Trademark Services > Cancel Trademark

When cancelling the registration of a trademark, the latest trademark registration certificate will need to be supplied.

There is a cancellation fee of AED1,500 and once cancellation is approved an announcement of cancellation in 2 local Arabic newspapers will need to be published.

How can PRO Partner Group help?

PRO Partner Group has experience with registering trademarks in the UAE with the Ministry of Economy and the requirements for fully registering a trademark in the region.

If you need assistance with trademark registration or any other related onshore or offshore company setup, restructuring, local partner or PRO support matter in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the wider UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, then please do get in touch with us on +971 (0)4 456 1761 for Dubai or +971 (0)2 448 5120 for Abu Dhabi, email us at info@propartnergroup.com or complete the contact form below and we will be delighted to assist you.