Dubai posted 34% rise in registered trademarks in 2019

Dubai posted a 34 per cent increase in registration of trademark files in 2019, official news agency WAM reported.

However, the number of registered commercial agency files posted a staggering rise of 127 per cent in Dubai compared to 2018.

The total number of trademark files registered at the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector at Dubai Economy in 2019 reached 5,157 compared to 3,844 in 2018, a statement said.

Meanwhile, 50 commercial agency files were registered in 2019, compared to 22 in 2018.

Classification
A total of 1,585 trademark files pertinent to US brands were registered in 2019, making up 31 per cent of the pool.

Local brands were second with 818 files (16 per cent), while German brands rose by seven per cent to 373 files.

France, Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, British Virgin Islands, India, China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada were also among the top 15 source countries for files registered in 2019.

Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO, CCCP, said, “The rising number of trademarks and agencies registered shows the importance of Dubai Economy not only in attracting the best and highest-quality brands from around the world but also in providing multi-channel intellectual property protection.

“The 34 per cent increase in trademark files also indicates brand owners recognising the importance of the retail sector and purchasing power in Dubai, as well as the healthy competition among them and their confidence in Dubai Economy in protecting their rights.”

Complaints
The Intellectual Property Protection Department in Dubai Economy received 298 complaints pertinent to trademark infringement in 2019, marking a negligible increase of one per cent from 2018.

Meanwhile, infringement cases from commercial agencies dipped 17 per cent, from 42 to 35, between 2018 and 2019, the statement said.

Perfumes led the way in terms of goods regarding complaints (35 cases).

Cosmetics followed suit with 32 complaints, followed by personal care products (30).

Jewelry, clothes, phones, accessories all recorded 28 complaint cases each.

Meanwhile, other categories included bags and leather products (14), motor and machinery (11), eye glasses (10), foods (8), advertising, restaurants (seven each), and watches and auto parts (six each).

The CCCP urged consumers to reports incidents of fraud or counterfeiting through various consumer protection mediums.

The UAE led the way in the Middle East, according to a report by Brands Finance on the top 50 trademarks in the region in 2019.

Read: UAE posted a 30% increase in number of registered trademarks in December 2019

Also read: How to get a trademark licence for your business in the UAE