UAE joins Madrid System
The United Arab Emirates has formally become part of the Madrid System, the 109th country to join.
It follows Bahrain and Oman as the third country in the Gulf Cooperation Council to join the protocol, having officially acceded on 28th December 2021.
Allowing UAE based applicants to acquire trade mark protection worldwide through the WIPO will benefit UAE based rights holders. This development is also beneficial to those looking to register rights in the UAE from elsewhere.
The UAE’s accession will significantly lower costs for rights holders, who will no longer have to organise powers of attorney and will also benefit from a reduction in the official fees payable.
The Madrid System allows applicants who have applied for or registered a trade mark in their own country, to apply for the corresponding trade mark in some, or all, of the countries who have signed up to the system.
Each individual country then has up to 18 months to conduct its own examination and raise any objections.