Learning the value of Intellectual Property (IP) can help companies be more competitive and manage risks that may threaten the branding and marketing of the business.IP relates to the brand name, logo, copyright and in some cases a patent is required whereby a new invention has been created. If not legally protected by an official organisation such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation this can expose the company to other more legal savvy companies stealing the ideas and concept of unsuspecting others. This can easily be avoided by instructing a Trademark Registration Company in The UAE.
Trademarks for instance are part of our everyday life for a lot of well marketed businesses you can instantly recognise a logo, sign, design and relate it to a particular brand without seeing the company name. The power that a sign or symbol may have on a marketing campaign is undeniable especially in today’s constant media driven society. So it is essential that a trademark of such nature is protected so that other competitors do not copycat the idea.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) provides a database portal that can be accessed by all to gain legal information on Intellectual Property laws all over the world. The WIPO also has a online services portal that IP specialists and trademark agents around the world can search and register marks, logos, patents and copyright on behalf of companies.
To complete any trademark registration in the UAE for your company branding, logo and copyright you will need to find a trademark registration company also referred to as a trademark agent or IP specialist. All trademark agents should be registered with the Ministry of Economy showing they are a company qualified to register the marks on behalf of companies and will receive a Trademark Agent Licence issued by the Ministry of Economy.
In your search to find a trademark registration company in the UAE they will no doubt advertise ‘call us for trademark registration in the UAE ’ you should be aware on instructing any trademark agent that before any applications, registrations of marks takes place the trademark agent should complete a basic preliminary search in relation to your logo, company name and activity in the WIPO database. This search determines if any other company in the same jurisdiction or internationally has a similar mark already registered. If such similar registration exists you will not be able to register the mark.
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When the search has been completed and there is no similar mark registered you can proceed to apply and give the trademark agent the requirements needed to register the mark. At this point it is worth mentioning that although there is no similar mark found in the database initially, this is not to say that your mark could not be contested by others. There are trademark registration companies who watch and look out for new applications in the database, in the trademark process there is a time line for other companies to possibly contest your application by filing a case with the Ministry of Economy detailing that your logo or mark may resemble their clients own mark or logo. If contested with just cause then a case will be raised with the Ministry of Economy and both parties will then state the justification of their logo and if the logo, mark does not clearly resemble the plaintiff or is further registered in other countries not only in the UAE then this is a strong reason for the case to be rejected or the complaint to be retracted. When cases are filed within the trademark process it then delays the process of the application until the Ministry of Economy reviews both sides and makes an informed decision if the application proceeds or is denied.
Documents required for Trademark Registration are as follows:
- Company name/logo in pdf and specifically sized for the application
- UAE Trade Licence Copy
- Power of Attorney issued to the trademark registration agent to apply on the company’s behalf with the Ministry of Economy
Worth noting that any logo should be applied in black and white, if applied in black and white it protects the logo in all colour categories.
The following procedure is applied with the Ministry of Economy by the trademark company
Initial preliminary search
- Application preparation of the logo and mark
- Online registration
- Periodic review of the applications progress
- Once apprved there is a journal publication for others to view your application
- If the publication is uncontested then the application proceeds to final payment stage and then certification of the mark.
Trademark applications can take around 4 months to complete in the UAE if uncontested. If contested then the process will obviously take longer as the Ministry of Economy must investigate all claims to the fullest before making a decision if the application proceeds or not.
On receipt of the trademark certification the certificate is valid for 10 years and it can be renewed for a further 10 years nearing the expiry date.
The benefit of having Trademark Registration Services in UAE means you control how and who uses your branding/logo – you have the confidence to build on your brand and marketing the business with the protection of the WIPO and its laws. Having the certification is the only way to legally stop any competitor from trying to copy or steal your company name, logo, copyright, or patent which can lead to huge financial loss if allowed to succeed. Multinationals have whole teams to work in this area of IP globally but not all businesses are multinationals with large legal teams so the right Trademark Registration company in UAE can make this protection accessible even to the smallest company that has big ideas.
In summary, if answering any advertisements stating Call us For Trademark Registration in the UAE please note the points above so you have a basic understanding of what a trademark registration company in the UAE is going to achieve and complete on your behalf.
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