Category: Trademarks

UAE Opens Class 33 for Trademark Filings

Posted on by Fatima Rehman

Brand owners can now seek national trademark protection in the UAE for alcoholic beverages following the opening of Class 33, which was previously unavailable for filing.

The trademark landscape in the United Arab Emirates has seen an important development with Class 33 now available for trademark filings through the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MOET) portal.

Class 33 covers alcoholic beverages, except beers, as well as alcoholic preparations for making beverages. Until now, the class had been restricted for trademark filings in the UAE. Its availability therefore creates a new opportunity for brand owners to seek national trademark protection for relevant goods in the country.

For businesses with established international portfolios, as well as those currently operating in or considering entering the UAE market, this is an important time to assess existing trademark protection and determine whether additional filings should be considered.

What does the opening of Class 33 mean for brand owners?

Brand owners with alcoholic beverage trademarks protected in other jurisdictions may previously have had a gap in their UAE trademark portfolios because Class 33 was unavailable for filing.

With applications now being accepted, businesses have an opportunity to review those portfolios and consider extending protection to the UAE.

This may be particularly relevant for international and regional brand owners with existing Class 33 registrations elsewhere, businesses with current interests in the UAE, and companies planning future launches or expansion into the market.

Why should portfolios be reviewed now?

The opening of a previously unavailable class creates a new filing opportunity for both existing and prospective market participants.

Brand owners should therefore consider reviewing their portfolios at an early stage to identify relevant brands and products for which UAE protection may now be appropriate.

As part of this review, businesses should consider whether they have Class 33 trademarks registered in other markets but not in the UAE, whether their current or planned UAE activities involve goods falling within Class 33, and whether there are gaps in their existing UAE trademark protection.

Where relevant, early filing should be considered now that applications in the class can be submitted.

Preparing a Class 33 filing strategy

Before proceeding with an application, brand owners should consider the scope of protection required and the appropriate specification for their relevant goods.

Clearance searches can also assist in assessing potentially conflicting rights before filing. For businesses managing portfolios across multiple jurisdictions, the UAE filing should be considered within the context of the wider trademark portfolio and the brand’s current or anticipated commercial activities.

The appropriate strategy will depend on the particular brand, products and existing portfolio.

How UTMPS can assist

United Trademark & Patent Services (UTMPS) can assist brand owners in assessing the implications of this development for their UAE trademark portfolios.

Our team can review existing portfolios to identify Class 33 protection gaps, conduct clearance searches, advise on appropriate specifications and filing strategies, and handle new applications through to registration.

We can also monitor potentially conflicting third-party applications and advise on enforcement where required.

Brand owners with relevant trademarks or products in Class 33 are encouraged to review their UAE protection and consider whether new filings should form part of their trademark strategy.

For further information or assistance with Class 33 trademark filings in the UAE, contact the UTMPS team.

New UAE Commercial Fraud Regulations Strengthen Brand Protection

Posted on by Fatima Rehman

The certificate has been issued. The trademark is registered. The brand is protected, right?

Not entirely.

Trademark registration gives you the legal foundation to act. But it cannot tell you when a counterfeit enters the market, where it is being sold or what customers experience when they mistake it for your product.

A counterfeit does more than imitate a name or logo. It trades on the trust your business has worked to build. If the product is of poor quality or unsafe, the counterfeiter may disappear, but the damage can remain with your brand.

That is why effective brand protection must go beyond registration.

At United Trademark & Patent Services, we help rights holders turn registered trademarks into practical protection. We monitor physical and online markets, develop product-authentication materials, investigate suspected counterfeits and coordinate enforcement action with the relevant UAE authorities. Our role is to help clients understand the available options and identify the most effective route for each situation.

The UAE already has a well-established range of anti-counterfeiting measures, including customs recordals, border seizures, market inspections, administrative complaints and court proceedings. The new Executive Regulations on Combatting Commercial Fraud, in force since 13 August 2026, provide brand owners with an additional enforcement tool.

The Regulations provide clearer procedures for inspecting, recalling, seizing, re-exporting and destroying counterfeit and fraudulent goods. They also strengthen coordination between authorities and introduce safeguards intended to prevent seized goods from returning to the market.

Importantly, the Regulations introduce clear operational timelines once counterfeit goods are identified. Upon being notified of a withdrawal decision, a supplier must immediately stop selling or displaying the affected goods and take the necessary steps to withdraw them from markets and warehouses within 24 hours.

For brand owners, this places even greater importance on early detection, reliable product-authentication materials and prompt engagement with the relevant authorities. The faster counterfeit goods can be identified and supported by reliable evidence, the more effectively rights holders can use the UAE’s available enforcement mechanisms.

For businesses with trademarks registered in the UAE, this is an opportunity to add another layer to their brand-protection strategy. Registration establishes your legal rights, while monitoring, authentication and enforcement help protect the reputation and customer trust that give your brand its value.

United Trademark & Patent Services supports brand owners at every stage, from securing rights to identifying infringements and coordinating action through the UAE’s available enforcement channels.

We are here to help you strengthen your brand-protection strategy in the UAE.

Protecting Your Brand in Saudi Arabia: Why Early Trademark Protection Matters

Posted on by Maria Khan

Protecting Your Brand in Saudi Arabia: Why Early Trademark Protection Matters

A trademark is often one of a company’s most valuable assets. It distinguishes products and services in the marketplace, builds consumer trust, and protects the reputation a business has invested years in developing.

As Saudi Arabia continues to attract local and international investment under Vision 2030, businesses face increasing competition and greater exposure to brand-related risks. In this environment, trademark protection is no longer simply a legal consideration, it is a business necessity.

Why Trademark Protection Matters

Without adequate trademark protection, businesses may face:

  • Unauthorized use of their brand by competitors or third parties
  • Counterfeit products entering the market
  • Loss of brand value and consumer confidence
  • Expensive disputes over ownership rights
  • Obstacles to expansion, franchising, licensing, or investment opportunities

The world’s most successful brands understand this well. Companies such as Nike, Apple, and Starbucks invest heavily in protecting their trademarks globally because strong brands inevitably attract imitators. Trademark registration provides the legal foundation needed to prevent others from capitalizing on a company’s reputation and goodwill.

The Golden Opportunity

Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving economy presents significant opportunities for businesses across a wide range of sectors. At the same time, the Kingdom has strengthened its intellectual property framework and enforcement efforts, demonstrating a clear commitment to protecting brand owners and combating trademark infringement.

For businesses entering or operating within Saudi Arabia, securing trademark rights at an early stage can provide a significant competitive advantage. It not only protects brand identity but also supports long-term commercial objectives, including market expansion, licensing arrangements, strategic partnerships, and investment transactions.

Who Should Consider Trademark Protection in Saudi Arabia?

  • Startups preparing to launch products or services 
  • SMEs expanding into the Saudi market 
  • Foreign companies entering Saudi Arabia for the first time 
  • E-commerce businesses selling to Saudi consumers 
  • Franchise operators and licensors 
  • Established companies with unregistered brands 
  • Businesses planning future investment, expansion, or acquisition activities

A Strategic Investment in Growth

Many businesses view trademark registration as a compliance exercise. In reality, it is an investment in the future value of the business. A registered trademark can become a powerful commercial asset, helping to preserve market position, enhance brand recognition, and provide a basis for enforcement when infringements occur.

The cost of securing trademark protection is often minimal compared to the financial and reputational consequences of a brand dispute.

As Saudi Arabia continues its transformation into one of the region’s leading business hubs, companies should take proactive steps to assess their trademark portfolios and ensure that their key brands are adequately protected. The question is not whether a trademark is worth protecting, but whether a business can afford the risks of leaving it unprotected.

If your trademarks are not yet protected in Saudi Arabia, now may be the ideal time to take action. Contact our expert team to discuss a protection strategy tailored to your business objectives.

To learn more about our intellectual property services and capabilities in Saudi Arabia, please visit our dedicated Saudi Arabia page.

Saudi Arabia Introduces A Digitized Approach To Customs Trade Mark Enforcement

Posted on by info@www.utmps.com

The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) is preparing to roll out a new electronic enforcement system known as “Tahaqaq”, marking what could become one of the more substantial procedural developments in Saudi Arabia’s customs-based anti-counterfeiting landscape in recent years.

The platform, which is expected to be introduced initially through a pilot phase, is intended to create a centralized interface between Customs authorities, trade mark owners, and their appointed representatives for the handling of suspected counterfeit shipments entering the Kingdom.

While Saudi Customs has long maintained an active role in border enforcement, the forthcoming mechanism introduces a notably different operational structure from the traditional detention procedures commonly relied upon in trade mark infringement matters.

Under the new system, rights holders will have the ability to electronically register their trade marks by class through the platform. Once onboarded, brand owners and their local representatives may receive automated notifications whenever Customs identifies goods suspected of infringing recorded marks.

A key distinction under the proposed model is that suspected consignments may not remain physically detained by Customs during the full verification period. Instead, importers may be allowed to retain the goods after submitting formal undertakings confirming that the products will not be sold, circulated, or otherwise disposed of until authenticity assessments are completed. Customs authorities would preserve samples of the shipment and electronically transmit supporting materials, including photographs and shipping documentation, to the relevant rights holder for examination.

This effectively shifts part of the verification process into a digital review framework, enabling trade mark owners to assess suspected products remotely before determining whether the goods are counterfeit.

Once infringement is confirmed, the system appears to contemplate two separate enforcement paths.

Where the rights holder decides not to pursue a civil claim, the matter may still proceed through criminal channels initiated directly by the competent authorities. In those circumstances, enforcement would continue primarily as a public prosecution matter without ongoing participation from the trade mark owner.

Conversely, if the rights holder elects to initiate civil proceedings, parallel criminal action may also be pursued. This route would likely allow brand owners and their representatives broader procedural visibility and closer involvement throughout the matter.

SAIP has indicated that the platform’s implementation will occur progressively. The first rollout stage is expected to cover a limited number of randomly selected trade marks and customs ports as part of a controlled testing environment aimed at evaluating functionality, identifying technical gaps, and collecting user feedback.

During a later transitional stage, the new mechanism is expected to operate simultaneously with the current reporting framework before eventually replacing it entirely across Saudi customs ports.

Alongside the technical rollout, SAIP has also announced supporting measures intended to facilitate adoption of the system, including account creation for IP representatives, training sessions for users, technical assistance channels, and dedicated feedback mechanisms.

From a practical perspective, the initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s continuing investment in modernizing intellectual property enforcement infrastructure and increasing reliance on digital coordination tools within administrative enforcement procedures. It also suggests a growing emphasis on faster communication between authorities and rights holders, particularly in customs matters where response timing and evidence assessment can significantly impact enforcement outcomes.

Although participation in the platform is reportedly optional at this stage, rights holders were encouraged to register their trade marks in order to ensure continued receipt of notifications relating to suspected counterfeit shipments intercepted by Customs authorities.