The UAE has increased the penalty on copyrights or trademark infringements as a part of expanded regulations of Intellectual Property (IP) rights to control IP rights violations and offer a conducive environment that promotes creativity and innovation. The fine for infringing someone’s IP can now up to $272,000.

This announcement is a part of the new legislative reforms that were first introduced in 2021 and enacted in January this year. The new rules will not only help local or foreign business owners, but will also be available for designers, investors, public interest organizations, and even local or federal government agencies.

Announcing the new rules, Abdulaziz Alnuaimi, assistant undersecretary of the Commercial Affairs Regulation Sector at the Ministry of Economy, said, “These efforts emphasize the significant role of this sector in encouraging creativity and its contribution to building the country’s new economic model based on knowledge and innovation, and in line with the goals and principles of the 50 and the UAE Centennial 2071.”

The idea behind strengthening these policies is to accommodate unconventional trademark patterns used by international companies or investors and offer legal support to them, and also ensure that UAE is abreast with the global markets and developments. The new regulation has extended unique categories of trademarks that could be related to smell, sound, and even holograms.

By extending the IP and trademark law, UAE is also laying a red carpet for international companies to invest and relocate to the country. Alnuaimi promised a better integration between the ministry, the federal partners, and global IP entities and said, “The collaboration guarantees the country’s adherence to international best practices in this regard, thereby stimulating FDI flows and attracting international companies to relocate to the UAE by guaranteeing a highly conducive working environment. This, in turn, strengthens the UAE’s position as a favored destination for innovators and creators, thus promoting its leadership in global competitiveness indexes for IP protection.”

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