Madrid calling….

WIPO, in cooperation with the Trade Marks and Intellectual Works Department of the Ministry of Economy UAE, announced in their webinar on 1 June 2021 that the United Arab Emirates is preparing for accession to the Madrid System of International Registration of Trade Marks. This is likely to come into effect next year.

This will pave the way for brand owners in the UAE to access a cost-effective platform for trade mark registration worldwide. We hope it would also open doors to many more overseas applicants who may consider the cost of filing national applications in the UAE prohibitive.

While we await official guidance, the main benefits to brand owners should include:

• The avoidance of having to furnish a notarised and/or legalised Power of Attorney which can be a huge burden and expense, especially to overseas applicants.
• The ability to cover more than 1 class in an application. Currently, multi-class applications are not available nationally.
• The avoidance of having to publish the application in the local newspapers for opposition purposes.
• The ability to access a centralised platform in one language for international filing, maintenance and renewals.
• Replacement in respect of identical earlier national registrations. This will allow a UAE national trade mark registration holder to dispense with the national right having comfort that the IR is deemed to replace it in every way.
• The ability to add subsequent country designations.

The inclusion of the UAE within the International Trade Mark Registration system will provide a much-needed boost to industry both in and outside of the UAE. We look forward to providing more updates as they unfold.