Given the recent trend in going paperless, the Trademark Office in the United Arab Emirates announced that, as of October 6, 2019, the following services will be conducted exclusively online: (1) filing an opposition, (2) filing a counterstatement, and (3) issuing all post registration recordal certificates.
These e-services, among others provided by the TMO, replace previous procedures that required the submission of documents and applications in person. Accordingly, we expect this new practice to significantly speed up procedures at the TMO, and will undoubtedly facilitate the opposition process and eliminate any risks of registering an already opposed trademark—something that has happened in the past.
By way of background, the TMO introduced e-filing in December 2015 and began issuing electronic certificates in November 2017. In June 2018, the TMO announced that trademark renewals were added to the online portal.
Trademark Protection Framework in the UAE:
- Classification: 10th edition – single class application. Class 33, alcoholic goods in class 32, and pork meat in class 29 cannot be registered
- Examination: On formal, absolute, and relative grounds
- Opposition: 30 days from last publication date
- Protection Term: 10 years from filing date and renewable for like periods
- Use: Vulnerable to cancellation if mark has not been used for 5 consecutive years
- Filing Requirements: POA, legalized and certified copy of priority document, if priority is claimed. The POA must be submitted at the time of filing and the priority document may be submitted within 3 months from filing date
Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com