Why Should You Protect Smart Assets With Trademark Registration in UAE?
The protection of assets, especially the intellectual property assets, is of crucial significance for any business that is determined to prosper in a highly competitive market like the UAE. With the development of future-ready technologies and digitization, the definition of the intellectual property assets has started to cover more tech-inclined assets like the ‘Apps’. The world is becoming increasingly smarter and it is imperative for the companies to trademark their smart assets like Apps to beat out their competitors. Furthermore, the increasing relevance of e-commerce businesses, online learning, and remote working services in the current global scenario precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the importance of protecting the smart assets through trademarks.
Why Trademark Protection of Apps is Crucial in 2020?
Almost every company across the world is now using the Apps to deliver their services to the consumers. The reliability of mobile applications has increased in the UAE due to high digital penetration and the rise of a tech-savvy population. The use of mobile phones and other smart devices have become a part of the daily lives of the people. In the UAE, not only private businesses but many government services are available through mobile applications.
The government-enforced lockdowns as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic have seen consumers relying on mobile applications to get their jobs done or buy essential things. The COVID 19 has forced many private companies to use video conferencing apps and many educational institutes in the UAE have turned to e-learning. Also, e-commerce firms have assumed increased significance amid the pandemic in the UAE as people started to rely upon online shopping to make essential purchases.
Many of these e-commerce firms have developed mobile applications for facilitating easy and quick delivery of their services. The increased importance of these smart selling tools has also presented immense challenges to the companies in terms of trademark protection and enforcement.
The following is a description of the key strategies the companies need to deploy to protect the brand as their smart assets by opting for trademark registration in UAE:
1. Register Trademarks to Cover Additional Classes
Registration of trademarks with the UAE Trademark Office is the first step in protecting the brand assets of the companies. The businesses often register their trademarks under the relevant classes that correspond with the services they offer but they also need to expand the trademark protection by trademarking the services they offer through mobile applications under relevant classes. The NICE Classification provides 45 classes of goods and services and most companies may file their trademarks under relevant classes corresponding to their primary services. Some companies may have specific services that they offer only through mobile apps and the companies need to file them under additional classes.
2. Get Trademark Protection for App’s Icon
For every mobile application, the App icon logo helps to establish its brand identity and cements the brand name in the minds of the consumers. The App icon could be visible in the application store or on the device in which it has been installed. A strong App icon or logo needs strong protection and the businesses need to ensure that they have trademarked the logo to protect it from potential infringements.
3. Conduct Adequate Search
There are situations when a company decides to use a new name for their App. This process of naming an app is important as it affects the brand strategy. Before naming the App, the businesses need to conduct an adequate trademark search to ensure that the brand name doesn’t infringe on the intellectual property rights of third party brand owners. The companies can seek the help of efficient trademark agents or intellectual property service providers to conduct the search in the Trademark Registry to clear the name of the App
4. Design Better Trademark Enforcement Strategy for the App
As said earlier, the registration of Trademarks is the primary step in ensuring the protection of the brand. However, the brand owners of the App need to devise a better strategy to protect their trademarks from infringement. The strategy is a must for stopping others from using the trademark without authorization. The brand owners couldn’t afford to have such infringements as it may inflict heavy damages to the brand value and image.
A commonly used strategy to counter such infringement is Trademark Watch or IP Watch. With the help of highly qualified trademark agents in the UAE, the companies can monitor their trademark continuously to ensure that others are not using similar or identical trademarks. The companies that use the watch services for their other trademarks should include the Apps in their monitoring services.
Why Choose Jitendra Intellectual Property?
The global economy is embracing the digital transformation to accept newer ways to deliver services. The digital delivery of services has become more important and assumed a higher level of significance when a global pandemic like the COVID 19 has pushed the economy into uncertainty. Mobile Apps and other smart ways of service delivery are going to become more in demand if the world walks into a changing global economy. In such cases, the businesses need to give more importance to protecting their ‘smart assets’ with adequate trademark protection. To ensure the registration and enforcement of the brands, a full-service Intellectual Property service provider like Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP) may come handy for the business owners.
JIP’s highly qualified trademark agents have assisted thousands of clients in trademark registration in UAE. Being an efficient trademark registration services firm, JIP provides robust trademark search and IP watch services to curb infringements. Be it a traditional brick and mortar business that uses an App for its services or an e-commerce startup, JIP will ensure the trademarks remain protected across the GCC.