Dubai Economy sees 34% drop in IP complaints during Q1 2020

Gulf Today, Business Bureau

The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in Dubai Economy has revealed that a total of 5,300 trademark files have been registered as of the first three months of 2020, a 14 per cent increase compared to Q1 2019, while the total infrigement complaints on intellectual property (IP) rights registered in Q1 2020 was 95, a 34 per cent decrease over Q1 2019. The number of registered commercial agency files rose 121 per cent from Q1 2019 to reach 53 in Q1 2020. Notably, two infringement complaints only were registered against commercial agencies in Q1 2020, a marked decrease of 71 per cent over Q1 2019.

US trademarks still constitute the largest share of files (1,610) registered in the ‘IP Gateway’ of Dubai Economy since its inception, followed by Emirati (790), German (375), French (329), and British (298) files.

Swiss trademarks topped the rise in the registration of new trademarks in the IP Gateway in Q1 2020 with a 50 per cent increase compared to Q1 2019, followed by the British Virgin Islands (32 per cent), Emirati (22 per cent), French (20 per cent), and German (17 per cent) trademarks.

The largest share (29 per cent) of infringement complaints on IP rights was for Swiss trademarks in Q1 2020, followed by US (18 per cent), German and French (14 per cent each), and Emirati (8 per cent) ones. CCCP also registered new trademark-related complaints from Arab countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, while there were no IP infringement complaints on Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Spanish trademarks.

Clothes were the leading category (18 per cent) of goods involved in the complaints, followed by non-metallic jewellery (14 per cent), watches (13 per cent), glasses (11 per cent), and bags and leather products (8 per cent).

Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said: “The results achieved during Q1 2020 reiterate the vital role played by Dubai Economy in protecting investor rights, thus enhancing business confidence and the economic environment in the emirate. The increase in commercial agency files registered with Dubai Economy reaffirm that Dubai is an attractive destination for the best trademarks around the world. It also reflects the growing global role of the retail sector in the emirate in enhancing competitiveness among trademarks and commercial agencies.”

Dubai Economy encourages owners of trademarks, IP, and commercial agencies registered in the country to register their files on the IP Gateway and ensure protection of their rights, especially as IP is one of the prime requisites for building an innovation-driven and knowledge-based economy. All IP transactions are completed smartly through the IP Gateway without the need for customers to visit Dubai Economy, and services are available in five languages: Arabic, English, Japanese, French, and Italian.

Moreover, with online shopping and e-Commerce scoring high for convenience and safety, the ‘DED Trader’ licence of Dubai Economy is attracting increased interest from start-ups in Dubai. Pioneered by the Business Registration & Licensing (BRL) sector in Dubai Economy in 2017 to enable business activities online and across social networking accounts, ‘DED Trader’ licences were issued to 943 new businesses during the first three months of 2020, an increase of 179 per cent over the same period last year. With online shopping gaining fresh momentum in the UAE, 102 DED Trader licences were issued to date in April 2020, and the total number of DED Traders now stands at 5,353.

‘DED Trader’ has proactively supported the growth of e-Commerce in the UAE and encouraged a growing number of consumers to shop online. It is also enabling businesses to address challenges during the prevailing nationwide alert against COVID-19 with an easily accessible window regulated by Dubai Economy to set up and drive online enterprises. Additionally, it enables business continuity and sustainability during COVID-19.

‘DED Trader’ has also created new opportunities with several innovative activities and emerging sectors now facilitated by the licence, providing an authentic channel for ambitious startups and young people to test new products and services. The ‘Information Technology’ group, which includes 17 activities, topped the list of groups in the DED Trader licences issued during January-March 2020, followed by ‘Fashion’ (33 activities), ‘Other Personal and Trading Services’ (13), ‘Event Organisers’ (8), and ‘Preparation of Food’ (7).

Altogether, the ‘DED Trader’ licence is issued to 87 activity groups. The number of permitted activities in a single licence is 10, provided they are consistent within the same activity category. ‘Lifestyle Coaching’ tops the list of activities licensed since the launch of ‘DED Trader,’ followed by ‘Marketing Services Via Social Media,’ ‘Project Management Services,’ ‘Marketing Management,’ and ‘Portals.’