The second president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, made history when he approved the largest-ever law reform in the country in late November 2021.
Under Zayed Al Nahyan’s leadership, over 540 specialists and experts from 50 authorities worked together for more than five months alongside 100 private entities on the legislative reforms that covered 40 laws.
A revamp of the nation's legal framework was intended to spur innovation and knowledge-based economic growth.
The reforms, which took effect in January, covered widespread changes to the country’s intellectual property laws, including trademark, copyright, and industrial rights.
The trademark law amendment expanded the scope of protection available to individuals and businesses.
The reforms introduced provisions for registering three-dimensional trademarks, holograms, and non-traditional marks, such as sound and smell marks. Applicants can also opt for multi-class filings now.
The amended law permits registration of the geographical names of products that originate from specific regions, countries, or cities.
As far as copyright was concerned, the amendments strengthened protections for original works and neighbouring rights.
The industrial property law reform boosted protection for patents, designs, and integrated circuits and streamlined the procedures for their registration, use, exploitation, and assignment.
Zayed Al Nahyan passed away in May 2022, but his contributions to the UAE's IP and innovation ecosystem won't be forgotten.
