Dubai Economy sees 34% rise in trademark cases

Dubai Economy (also known as Dubai Department of Economic Development) said on Sunday it saw a 34 per cent increase of trademark filings in 2019 over 2018 to protect intellectual property.

Trademark files registered at the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection sector in Dubai Economy reached 5,157 in 2019 up from 3,844 a year earlier.

US brands led in terms of trademark files, accounting for 31 per cent of the total cases.

UAE brands came in next, with 16 per cent of total cases, followed by German brands.

Dubai Economy stated that the increase in trademark files indicates that brand owners are recognising the importance of protecting their rights and Dubai Economy’s ability to do so.

Dubai Economy also received 298 complaints relating to trademark infringement in 2019, up 1 per cent year-on-year.

Perfumes were the leading category of goods involved in the complaints (35 cases), followed by cosmetics and personal care products (at 32 cases and 30 cases respectively).