What is meant by a trademark
Trademark registration in UAE is crucial to protect your brand in the Emirates. Companies and business establishments irrespective of their type or size employ a trademark or brand name to represent the business or a product. A trademark can be represented by various means like words, symbols, signs or logo. The trademark you use can be a signature, word, name, letter, drawing, symbol, title, seal, image, tax stamp, inscription, advertisement, or any other combination. Trademark comes under the category of intellectual property and grants certain rights and protections to the legal owner.
Trademark registration law in the UAE protects the business establishments from all unauthorized exploitation of the originally registered trademark. With trademark registration in Dubai and UAE, you can protect your brand name, symbol or logo used to identify your goods or services that are legally registered in the Emirates.Confident Business LLC team offers extensive support for registering a trademark in the UAE in compliance with all legal requirements.
Means of communication – Trademark conveys or communicates the symbol or representation of your brand to the general public. Trademarks are an excellent means of communicating an emotion connected with the brand. And the same “emotion” serves as the major driving factor of sales. For example- let us consider the trademark of the international brand named “Nike” – the renowned American athletic shoe designer. The Swoosh logo of Nike has international recognition and the particular logo enhances the brand value to a great extent. Another important aspect of the Nike Swoosh is that it’s not a name or a word but a logo. This gives Nike a universal acceptance. Words or names have language-based restrictions.
Trademarks have value –The trademark maintained by a highly reputed business has high asset value. The worth of Nike logo amounts to several billion dollars.
Enhanced visibility and attention and thereby brand recognition – A well-designed logo can help your business stand out from the competitors. If your business domain has too many competitors, an attractive logo always gets public attention. A quality product or service with a meticulously designed trademark always brings a large number of followers.
Wards off duplicate, fake products – Fake products are always a threat to originals. Trademark protects your product from all fake and look-alike products. In another sense, the trademark protects the interest of the customers too. The customers who are aware of the original trademark can demand the original, reliable product. This gives an assurance to the customer and ensures value for money.
Aids in business expansion – Once the company establishes its name in the market and has earned a respectable reputation, the trade name helps the company diversify into other business domains.
Enhances social media reach – Businesses can effectively use the trademark to increase the company presence on various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Strong online and social media presence enhances the credibility of the company.
A class system is employed in the UAE trademark registration process. The various categories of products and services are assigned to a particular class. There are altogether 44 trademark registration classes available in the UAE and the businesses are allowed to register the product or business in any of the 44 classes. For registering a product or business in a particular class, the applicant needs to file an application. For a different class, the applicant is supposed to file a separate application. Therefore, having a clear understanding of the type of business or product and the class they belong to is crucial in trademark registration. Registering in an inappropriate class can be sheer wastage of time and money. Confident Business LLC Services undertakes the task of class assigning with utmost responsibility and precision.
As a trademark is intellectual property, it grants certain protections to the legal owner of the trademark. Any infringement in any form may attract legal consequences. Here are the various scenarios connected with trademark infringement.
Unauthorized use – If any individual or entity displays a registered trademark on a product devoid of any legal authorization.
Act of forgery – if a person imitates the originally registered trademark with the intent of deceiving the public or with the intention of ruining the reputation of the brand.
Sale of counterfeit products – If a person involves in the trade of a product or commodity that carries a forged trademark with the intent of making a profit.
The aforementioned scenarios are considered as offences and the offender if proven guilty is liable to face imprisonment and a financial penalty of a minimum of AED 5000.
Trademark registration validity in Dubai,UAE
A trademark registered in the UAE is valid for 10 years. When the validity expires the business establishment is required to renew the trademark for another 10 years.
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy is the government authority in charge of trademark registration in UAE. Once the trademark is registered under the UAE Ministry of Economy, the registration is legally valid in all the 7 Emirates. The registration tasks can be accomplished within a period of 10 months in normal scenarios.
The UAE trademark law has certain restrictions regarding the type of logo or designs that can be employed for the purpose of registration. Those restrictions are listed below.
Though trademark registration in Dubai, UAE is a simple procedure, there are chances for committing errors in the application form or during the submission of the document, which may result in the rejection of the trademark. Confident Business LLC is a team of experienced business consultants who are well informed of the Trademark Registration Process in the UAE. Till now Confident Business LLC team of experts have accomplished more than 200 trademark registrations and several other trademark renewals of our esteemed clients. Trademark registration task requires considerable experience and extensive market knowledge. Get in touch with our team for a hassle-free registration.
Trademark registration in Dubai would require a service agent if you are an ex-pat or a foreign company. The agent would comply with the procedure for registering your trademark in UAE.
Make sure that the application is filled out correctly. You need not be concerned about it if you have hired an experienced and trusted firm as your agent. Confirmation that a similar trademark is not registered by anyone else is also important. Research has to be undertaken in this regard prior to finalizing the trademark.
The trademark registration services in Dubai would forward the application to the authority. It is the duty of the authorized body to examine the trademark to affirm that it is according to the laid down regulations.
The registrar will issue an acceptance order if the trademark submitted is according to guidelines. In case of any anomalies or discrepancies, the application would be rejected.
Once the trademark has been accepted by the registrar, it would be published in two Arabic newspapers. The applicant has to pay the fee for this as well. Thirty days from the publication date is considered an opposition period. Anyone, who has disputes with the trademark can raise objections during this time. Trademark registration in Dubai would be smooth if no one raises any opposition to the published trademark. Any similarities with the already approved trademarks can lead to objections from entities and individuals.
On completion of 30 days, from the date of publication in the official gazette, the trademark registered becomes matured. There wouldn’t be any further intimation from the authority regarding the same. The company of the individual has to pay the final registration fee for the trademark, within 30 days from the last day of the opposition period. This is the final stage to register your trademark in UAE.
As all the formalities have been completed, the trademark office in Dubai would issue the trademark certificate. The certificate is issued as and when you pay the final registration fee.
You can register your trademark in any of the emirates in UAE. Trademark registration services in Dubai offered by trustworthy agencies are the best way to conclude the process in the right time. Trademark registration in Dubai is valid for 10 years from the date of application. Post that, the trademark can be renewed for another 10 years.
The renewal of the trademark has to be undertaken within three months from the date of expiry. Note that, it is ideal, as well as, financially beneficial to renew the trademark before expiring. As each month will cost a fine of AED 1000.