Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property is a fundamental part of a company and an individual's work. While creators may not legally protect thoughts and ideas, they may secure their work from theft and imitations through legal protection registrations.
A trademark is a word, symbol, phrase, or design that is used to distinguish a brand from its competitors. In the UAE, the validity of a trademark registration is 10 years. After its expiry, businesses can renew it for the same period.
Copyrights are granted and issued to authors, artists, and scientific research of whatever value, kind, or purpose of the material. Essentially, this form of legal protection covers creative pieces of work such as writing, sound, art, and computer software. The validity of a copyright is the lifetime of the creator plus 50 years post-mortem.
Patent is a unique legal protection that is that granted to inventions, products, or processes that provide new solutions. The patent protection period in the UAE is 20 years with a four to five-year waiting period from filing to grant status.
Design protection is a legal registration that allows brands and businesses to protect the design of a product. A design protection is valid for 10 years. Applications will be examined with respect to the Patent and Industrial Designs Law.