Legal services
Protecting trademarks, copyright, designs and trade secrets in the UAE and across borders.
We register, license and enforce intellectual property rights for businesses and creators. Trademark filings at the Ministry of Economy, customs recordals, infringement complaints and court action, with a cross-border network for the rest of the world.
Brands, content and know-how are often the most valuable things a business owns, and the UAE now protects them under a modern set of laws: Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks, Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 on Copyright, and Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on Industrial Property covering patents and designs. The Ministry of Economy runs the registers, customs can seize counterfeit goods at the border, and the Departments of Economy in each emirate act against infringers in the market.
Khalifa Al Sada Advocates & Legal Consultants advises businesses and individuals on every aspect of protecting their intellectual property. Our IP services are cross-border and integrated: the same team registers the mark, drafts the licence and, if necessary, files the complaint or the court case.
We act for:
We start with a clearance search so that you invest in a mark that can be registered and defended. We file trademark applications in the correct classes with the Ministry of Economy, respond to examiner objections and oppositions, and manage renewals. We record registered marks with UAE Customs to stop counterfeit imports, and we handle copyright deposits and design registrations. Our paralegal team runs the filing process for clients who need the registration only.
We draft and negotiate licence, franchise, assignment and co-existence agreements, and the confidentiality and employee IP clauses that protect trade secrets. When rights are infringed we send cease and desist letters, file complaints with the Department of Economy and Tourism or the relevant emirate authority, coordinate raids and seizures, and pursue civil claims for damages and criminal complaints where the law provides them. We also advise on comparative advertising and brand disparagement under the competition, media and cybercrime laws.
We combine registry work with courtroom experience, which is rare in a single team. Our lawyers know what the Ministry examiner will accept and what a judge will require as evidence of ownership and infringement, so we build the file for both from day one.
Our associate firms in India, Turkey and Canada, and our correspondents across the GCC, allow us to file and enforce in several jurisdictions with one point of contact, in Arabic or English.
We identify what you own, what is registered and what is exposed, and run a clearance search for any new mark.
We file with the Ministry of Economy and other registries, handle objections and record the mark with customs.
We draft the licences and agreements that turn your rights into revenue, on terms that are enforceable in the UAE.
We act against infringers through letters, administrative complaints, seizures and court proceedings.
Typically six to nine months from filing to certificate if there is no objection or opposition. The registration lasts ten years and can be renewed.
No. Registration is national, although the GCC Trademark Law harmonises the rules. We file separately in each country through our correspondents.
Often yes, through unfair competition rules, the trade name registry and, for well-known marks, the Trademark Law itself. The evidence of your prior use matters.
Record your mark with customs to stop imports, file a complaint with the Department of Economy for market raids, and pursue civil damages. Criminal penalties also apply to counterfeiting.
Insights
15 May 2023 4 min read
A company circulated an image showing a rival car brand as inferior. Does UAE law allow that, and what can the affected brand do? A look at unfair competition, trademark, media and cybercrime rules.
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