New UAE Commercial Fraud Regulations Strengthen Brand Protection

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.