Until recently, Israeli firms were not able to perform trademark registration in the UAE due to the long-standing boycott on Israeli brands. However, the situation changed after the two countries normalised their ties after the signing of the Abraham Accords. The stage has been set for the entry of Israeli firms into the UAE market, which means the companies now need to focus on protecting their brand identity after incorporation. At this juncture, the Israeli brands need to be aware of the UAE Trademark Laws and procedures for registration with the Trademark Office.
Failing to register trademarks will lead to infringement which will cause a huge business loss for the brand owners. For proper trademark registration, the investors should hire registered trademark agents in Dubai who would ensure that the brands are registered without any delay. Here is a detailed guide on everything Israeli investors should know before registering their brands in the UAE.
Why Should Brands Register Trademarks in the UAE?
In a nutshell, we can define trademarks as a symbol, a word or group of words that represent your brand and help you distinguish your products or services from that of other companies. The trademark can be a logo, a brand name or a design. By successfully registering the brand in the UAE, the Israeli companies can ensure that their competitors cannot copy the brand. When third parties create identical or confusingly similar logos or brand names, it leads to confusion in the minds of consumers. Therefore, trademark registration should be one of the first things Israeli investors must perform in the UAE after setting up their company.
Look into the Current Trademarks
Before formally filing the application for trademark registration in the UAE, it is highly advisable to scrutinise the database of the Trademark Office to check if someone else has already registered trademarks that are similar to yours. The process is known as a trademark search, and it is not mandatory as per the law. However, availing of trademark search services in the UAE would help you avoid trademark opposition. It would ensure that your trademark is unique and doesn’t infringe the rights of other parties. The best trademark agents in Dubai would search the official database and other online sources to ensure that your trademark is eligible for registration.
Choose Strong & Distinctive Trademarks
Israeli investors should choose trademarks that are strong and distinctive, which would ensure that the brands would stand out in the market. While choosing a brand name, try to use coined words XEROX, Dubizzle etc. If that is not your choice, you can create trademarks using arbitrary terms like APPLE (the tech company trademark). An arbitrary name would have a meaning in its language, but it would have no connection with the product. Stay away from descriptive and generic trademarks. A strong trademark gives you enhanced protection from infringers.
Register Trademarks in Multiple Classes
The UAE follows the NICE international classification of trademarks, where each trademark is categorised into 45 classes of products or services. You should identify the classes in which your trademark can be registered. You should register the trademarks in all the eligible classes, or else your competitor file an identical trademark in those classes, creating brand confusion among the consumers. The UAE doesn’t allow multi-class filing, and therefore trademark agents in Dubai recommend filing your trademarks in each applicable class separately.
Hire an Intellectual Property Watch Service
Even though trademark registration with the Ministry of Economy ensures brand protection, third parties can still impersonate your brand name or logos. You can avoid this unfortunate situation by constantly watching the market for new trademarks that are similar to yours. After identifying such copycats, you can legally move against the infringers.
However, as an Israeli investor who just set up a business in the UAE, it would be hard for you to divide time for monitoring the market. Here come trademark agents in Dubai for your assistance. The agents would monitor the market for identical or similar trademarks and give you constant alerts. In this way, you can identify the impersonators and move ahead with possible legal measures.
Why Should Israeli Businesses Hire Trademark Agents in the UAE?
As a foreign investor, you are legally obliged to register trademarks in the UAE through trademark agents. The Trademark Office doesn’t allow foreigners to register their trademarks on their own. The official language is Arabic, and all the documents will be in Arabic. Further, only the UAE’s trademark agents have access to the Offical Trademark Gazette and other related publications. Therefore, it is imperative for Israeli investors to hire registered trademark agents in Dubai, such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP), to register the brands.
JIP provides consultation regarding the registration of trademarks and helps you in choosing the right classes. JIP’s trademark agents assist the Israeli investors in filing the trademark registration application with the Trademark Office. We also minimise the risks of opposition and infringement through robust trademark search and IP watch services. In terms of the quality of services, JIP is the best IP firm in Dubai, UAE, and we ensure that the trademarks of Israeli investors are protected across the UAE and other GCC countries.