A trademark is a sign that’s used in distinguishing the goods and services of a business entity or individual. It alerts consumers products and services belong to a certain company or person. As such, a trademark acts as the badge by which companies can build their brand or reputation.
What’s a trademark in UAE?
Contrary to popular belief, trademarks aren’t just words or logos. As a matter of fact, the following can be registered trademarks in UAE: name, signature, device, numeral, brand, ticket, label, heading, aspect of a packaging, color, shape, scent, and sound.
Famous sound trademarks include four notes which make up a Mockingjay whistle that’s from the franchise, Hunger Games; the breathing of Darth Vader from Star Wars; and the ticking clock form the television show, 60 Minutes. Famous international shape trademarks include the four-fingered chocolate bar of KitKat and Play-Doh’s signature scent.
Is trademark registration in UAE worth doing?
Trademark registration in UAE protects a business from those who plan on riding on the business’ success. It usually occurs whenever another business mimics a registered logo of a business in order to trick customers into thinking that the two entities are either the same or closely related. Because of the business’ reputation which is attached to its trademark, customers buy from a business that imitates a trademark. This undercuts the original owner of the trademark, most especially when a trademark holder invests lots of time and money in building a customer base and solid brand.
Advantages of trademark registration in UAE are the following:
- Full protection for a business name and logo
- Significant boost to the credibility and reputation of a brand
- Registration of a trademark in UAE provides an automatic right in case a trademark is breached
- Builds brand pride and loyalty
- business name is going to be available on UAE’s trademark registry, which makes others alerted of the registered mark, preventing trademark infringement attempts
- Security for a brand, most especially on social media
Disadvantages of trademark registration in UAE, which should also be mentioned, are as follows:
- The process of trademark registration in UAE costs money
- A trademark registration has to be renewed every ten years
- The automatic right for taking action will only be in relation to a certain trademark class a mark is registered in. For instance, if your mark is registered under Musical Instruments, Class 15, then you can only bring claims if your mark was breached within the specific class. A thorough registration across several marks can make this issue unlikely to arise.
How can I register a business mark in UAE?
To register a business mark, you need to ensure that it is distinctive and isn’t deceptively or confusingly similar or even identical to any other registered mark. Follow these three simple steps for the trademark registration process:
Step 1: Conduct a thorough search. A thorough trademark search is an absolute must before sending the UAE Ministry of Economy an application for trademark registration. A trademark search conducted by trademark specialists will help ensure your mark isn’t identical to anything that already exists in the Ministry’s registry. It’s also important that you hire a professional in flagging the potential marks which can create conflict with your mark that are within the same class as yours.
Step 2: Apply for registration. A trademark specialist can also help with the gathering of the requirements for your trademark registration. When the Ministry gets your application, an examiner will assess your mark.
Step 3: Publishing of the trademark. if there are no issues found by the examiner, then the trademark to be registered will be published in two local newspapers. Should no one object to your mark’s registration in UAE for a certain class(es) within a certain amount of time, then you will be issued with a certificate of trademark registration in UAE. Trademark registration lasts for ten years and at which point you’ll be able to renew the registration.
Should I hire a trademark specialist in UAE?
Trademark specialists such as FAR Consulting Middle East makes the process of trademark registration in UAE easy for businesses and individuals. Here are some of the main reasons why businesses commission the help and guidance of trademark specialists for the application:
- Complete elimination of stress, wasted money, and effort – a trademark specialist providing a trademark registration service in Dubai or anywhere in UAE will do all of the groundwork for you. This is actually necessary in avoiding basic errors that can put your brand or company at risk. Also, you won’t have to waste money on several failed applications. Lastly, your trademark will get protection through registration sooner.
- Registration of your mark on the appropriate classes – when a trademark is not registered within the correct class(es), it will not be safe from trademark infringement. Trademark specialists in Dubai, UAE check for the correct classes, and also help ensure that you get the protection that you need. If you choose a reliable service provider, you can also prevent wastage of money for trademark registration on specific classes that you don’t need.
- Proper search for identical/similar marks – it is very easy for applicants of trademark registration in UAE to miss identical and similar marks when they are checking for conflicting trademarks. When they’re missed, money you’ve already invested goes down the drain. Fortunately, this can be avoided with the help of a professional specializing on trademark searches and registrations in UAE.
