Substantial Rise in Official Fees in United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The move is set to double all official fees payable on trade marks at every stage of the search, application and registration process. With the current official fees charged by the UAE Trade Mark Office already amongst the highest of any national trade mark office around the world, this is likely to have a significant impact on business owners looking to commercialise and protect their trade mark rights in the UAE.
The rate increases are expected to come into force on 29 May 2015, and are expected to apply not just to new applications after this date, but to existing applications as the relevant fees become due, which may prompt a re-assessment of the continuation of existing applications if they push too hard on budgets.