The Ministry of Economy recently announced that the United Arab Emirates will be joining the Madrid system, with a proposed joining date of late 2021 or early 2022. As the current Gulf Cooperation Council members of Madrid are limited to Bahrain and Oman, the announcement is welcome news for local and international brand owners alike. Further details are to be released in due course.
The UAE Trademark Office has confirmed that it will accept an original notarised and legalised power of attorney within 30 days of a trademark application being filed. However, potential applicants are encouraged to check the timeframe for legalisation with their local UAE embassies. In many cases, embassies are still facing significant backlogs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and so, in all cases, a 30-day late filing period may still be insufficient. Given the high official fees in the United Arab Emirates and to mitigate the risk of those fees being lost, it is recommended that new filings are held until the power of attorney is ready. If there is a priority date at stake, local counsel should be consulted.
