UAE reduces fees to boost business and attract brand owners

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Cabinet Decision No. 51 of 2019 (issued on 4 July 2019 and published on 7 July 2019), introduces a new fee and fine structure, whereby fees for over 100 services will be cancelled, and those of eight services will be reduced by up to 50%. This is welcome news for brand owners, whose fees have now been reduced by up to 50%, particularly those considering trade mark registration in the UAE.

How do brand owners benefit?

In 2015, the official fees for trade mark matters increased dramatically by up to 100% in the UAE and other countries in the GCC region. Such high costs acted as deterrent for small to medium size enterprises considering trade mark registration in the UAE, but the new fee reductions provide an opportunity for enterprises of all sizes to reconsider their trade mark protection strategy in the UAE.

The new fees are now more in line with those of other GCC countries and will enable brand owners to more reasonably budget for their brand registrations as well as for the maintenance and enforcement of their trade marks.

What fees have changed for brand owners?

The new structure only affects the fees payable for trade mark registrations and renewals, which fees have been reduced by 33% (see table below).

The fees for conducting a search for a trade mark in one class remain unchanged.

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If you would like additional information on the fee reductions, or assistance with trade marks in the UAE or globally, please contact Tarek Saad and Mona Matouri in the first instance, or your usual Baker McKenzie contact.