The Ministry of Economy (MoEc), represented by the Intellectual Property (IP) sector, participated in the International Trademark Association Forum held in Dubai recently. Other attendees included a select group of trademark owners, government entities, and experts in intellectual property protection. The forum discussed the means to support and develop the global IP protection system, particularly in the areas of domain names, modern technology, and their impact on trademarks.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for Intellectual Property Sector at the Ministry of Economy, said: “Intellectual property is a key pillar in the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years aimed at achieving sustainable development and building its knowledge-based economic model. Innovation and creativity are the key drivers of progress in this model, and creative national competencies, inventors, and entrepreneurs now play a more important role in accordance with the objectives of the “We the UAE 2031” vision, particularly its goal to enhance the UAE’s position as a leading global hub for the new economy.”
“Over the past years, the Ministry of Economy has developed forward-looking policies and initiatives to better regulate the UAE’s IP sector, ensure that its different sectors provide an added value to the economy, keep up with the successive technological developments, and provide comprehensive protection for owners of creative work. Most notably, these include the development of industrial property laws, copyright and neighboring rights, and trademarks. This has made the UAE a preferred destination for many global trademarks, talents, and innovators in all strategic sectors today. Additionally, the UAE has embraced several innovative entrepreneurial projects,” he added.
The Assistant Undersecretary emphasized the importance of protecting domain names and trademarks as they are the cornerstones of the IP system. The development of flexible strategies that support the rights of their owners and protect the assets that foster innovation is equally important, especially in the rapidly evolving digital age, which has produced a set of new challenges in the field of IP protection.
Moreover, Dr Al Muaini emphasized the importance of unifying global efforts to explore innovative solutions to ensure the protection and enhancement of IP applications in the face of technological advancements such as blockchain, AI, and virtual reality, which are impacting us in several ways. He also highlighted the importance of rewarding creators and innovators for their contributions, emphasizing the importance of the forum as a unique platform for exchanging ideas and enhancing cooperation in addressing IP challenges, new technologies and trademarks that call for immediate action.
The forum’s discussions focused on IP policies in the digital era and the role they can play in enhancing this key sector in the face of rapid technological developments. The means to establish a legal system that provides flexible and quick solutions to commercial disputes related to websites were also discussed, as well as the role of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in supporting governments and specialized global organizations in the development of legislative frameworks that serve this purpose.
The forum came out with a set of recommendations that emphasize the importance of registering trademarks of startups and the proper legal structures of new companies, as well as the necessity to enhance cooperation and partnership between the public and private sectors in supporting and protecting the IP system.
Nearly 12,000 new trademarks have been registered in the UAE during the first eight months of 2023, with an average of more than 49 trademarks registered daily. This is a strong indication of the UAE’s position as a leading regional and global financial and business hub. The Ministry of Economy also received more than 4,000 requests seeking global IP protection under the Madrid Protocol.
The International Trademark Association chose Dubai to host its meeting in 2026, making it the first city in the Middle East to host the Association’s meeting. The Association is one of the most important global non-profit organizations concerned with IP and has a wide network of members in more than 181 countries.
