UAE Trends and Developments Contributed by: Maria Farrukh Khan, Syed Mubashir Ali and Muhammad Talal Farrukh Irfan Khan, United Trademark & Patent Services
based on metrics such as the square footage of the venue, the number of seats in a restaurant or the aver- age daily rate (ADR) of a hotel room. Regarding mixed-use venues, hotels with multiple outlets (eg, a spa, a club and a restaurant) may face complex assessments. It is crucial to engage with CMOs early to determine if a blanket licence covers all outlets or if separate licences are required. Negotiat - ing a group-wide deal often yields better commercial terms than licensing each outlet individually. Creative economy boost For the first time, local and international artists see a consistent revenue stream from the UAE market. This is attracting more creative talent to the region and further diversifies the types of IP assets (content, broadcasts, digital media) that law firms protect. This development signals to the global entertainment industry that the UAE serves as a safe harbour for monetisation. The digital frontier: beyond the hype While much writing covers the Metaverse and AI, the trend in 2026 is moving from speculation to hygiene. Virtual goods as standard practice Filing trade marks for virtual goods (eg, download- able virtual clothing in Class 9, retail of virtual goods in Class 35) no longer constitutes a novelty; it is stand- ard operating procedure. The UAE Trademark Office is expected to accept these specifications. The trend moved from whether to protect these assets to how to enforce them. Social commerce enforcement A significant area of expansion involves enforcement on social commerce platforms. With the rise of “Ins - tagram boutiques” and TikTok sellers in the region, the volume of counterfeit goods sold via social media exploded. • Influencer liability: The UAE imposes strict regula - tions governing influencers. It is anticipated that influencers will face secondary liability for promot - ing counterfeit goods. Brand owners increasingly name influencers in complaints to disrupt the marketing funnel of counterfeiters.
• Takedown mechanisms: The Ministry of Economy & Tourism works closely with platforms to stream - line takedown requests. Utilising the “LiveBan” mechanisms for immediate removal of infringing live streams is becoming a critical tool for luxury brands. Domain name dispute resolution The establishment of specialised administrative ser - vices for domain name complaints within the Ministry of Economy & Tourism offers a faster alternative to traditional litigation or international arbitration for local disputes. • The problem: “Typosquatting”/URL hijacking and local infringers registering.ae domains to target UAE consumers. • The solution: Brand owners increasingly use these local administrative tools to take down infringing sites. This is proving to be a cost-effective alter - native to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolu - tion Policy (UDRP) proceedings when the dispute remains purely domestic. Artificial intelligence and authorship While the UAE has not yet issued a specific “AI Law” governing copyright authorship, the judiciary is grow - ing increasingly sophisticated. In the absence of explicit legislation granting authorship to AI, the mar - ket practice settled on a “human-plus” approach. • Strategy: Rights holders must document the human creative input in any AI-assisted work to ensure copyright protection. • Trade secrets: For purely AI-generated outputs (like algorithmic data), there is a reliance on trade secret protection and robust confidentiality agreements, rather than risking a copyright claim rejected for lack of human authorship. Conclusion: the proactive imperative The UAE IP ecosystem in 2026 and beyond defines itself by efficiency and accountability. The consolida - tion of cancellation procedures and the activation of expedited services reward the proactive rights holder. On the other hand, the operational CMOs and stiff
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