INDUSTRIAL DESIGN REGISTRATION SERVICES IN THE UAE
According to Article 44 of Federal Law No. 31 of 2006 in the United Arab Emirates, industrial designs are only legally protected if they are recorded in the appropriate register kept by the Administration. The rules and fees for registering an industrial design in the United Arab Emirates must be strictly followed.
In the United Arab Emirates, registering an industrial design gives the owner the exclusive right to prohibit others from doing the following
1. creating a product from an industrial design or sketch.
2. Bringing in or buying anything having anything to do with the design with the goal to use or sell it.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has several restrictions and standards that must be met before an industrial design may be registered there
1. The UAE Patent Office accepts applications for industrial designs in English and Arabic, thus applicants must submit their materials in both languages. Industrial registration agents in the UAE may also offer translation services.
2. Two copies of the design (for two-dimensional designs) or two copies of each view (for three-dimensional designs) should be included with the patent application along with a request for a patent.
3. within 90 days of the filing date, applicants must provide a certified copy of the Priority Document together with Arabic and English translations.
4. Within 90 days of the application’s filing date, an original Power of Attorney (PoA) notarized by the UAE Consulate must be presented.
5. A Deed of Assignment from the designer(s) to the applicant, also legalized by the UAE Consulate, must be presented within 90 days of the filing date if the applicant is not the designer.
6. Within 90 days after the filing date, a Certificate of Incorporation or Articles of Association, approved by the UAE Consulate, must be filed for all corporations.
7. The deadline for filing a priority claim in an industrial design application is six months from the priority date.
In the United Arab Emirates, applications for industrial designs are subjected to a formal review but not a substantive one. The publication fees are due within two months of the Patent Office’s acceptance notice, which is typically issued after the application has been formally accepted.
When an industrial design is registered in the United Arab Emirates, it is protected for 10 years from the date it was submitted for registration. From the first filing date forward, applicants must pay annual maintenance fees. Agents specializing in industrial design can give applicants further insight into the registration process.
