08/07/2026 04:19 AST
The UAE registered 17, 217 national and international trademarks during the first half of 2026, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism said, as the country officially joined the Locarno Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Industrial Designs, marking a significant step in strengthening its intellectual property framework.
The trademark figure compares to around 39,113 registrations for the whole of 2025.
Registered intellectual works also rose 35.4 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with total registrations reaching approximately 2,082 in 2025.
Patent applications submitted to the Ministry grew by an estimated 12 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, when the total number of patent applications reached 4,353. Applications for utility certificates rose 7.14 per cent over the same period.
The Locarno accession was confirmed during the UAE's participation in the 68th session of the Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), held at the organisation's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 7 to 15.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, headed the UAE delegation at the session, accompanied by Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for Intellectual Property at the Ministry.
The Locarno Agreement is an international treaty concluded in Locarno, Switzerland, on October 8, 1968, and administered by WIPO. It establishes a unified international classification system for industrial designs.
Milestone for IP protection
Al Marri said the UAE's accession to the Locarno Convention "represents a significant milestone in strengthening the country's industrial design protection system and supporting the development of the national intellectual property framework in accordance with the highest international standards."
He added that the move "reflects the UAE's vision of enhancing international cooperation in the field of intellectual property, particularly with regard to the protection of industrial designs, facilitating their registration, search, and comparability among member states, as well as standardizing their classification procedures across intellectual property offices."
60 initiatives launched
The Ministry of Economy and Tourism has rolled out more than 60 initiatives over the past three years to enhance the intellectual property, innovation, and creativity environment, the Minister said.
These include the Trademarks Market, which he described as the first digital platform of its kind in the UAE and the region dedicated to the sale and trading of trademarks.
Al Marri said these efforts have helped the UAE maintain its top ranking in the Arab world for the sixth consecutive year in the Global Innovation Index, where it has advanced to 30th place globally. He also stressed the importance of keeping pace with developments in artificial intelligence, noting the UAE led the world in AI adoption rates during the first quarter of 2026.
The Ministry also continued its efforts to protect broadcasting rights and combat digital piracy.
Khaleej Times
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