UAE outlines national efforts to develop IP legislation at 63rd Series of Meetings of WIPO Assemblies in Geneva

Regulation and protection of Industrial Property Rights, Trademarks, and Copyright and Neighboring Rights highlighted

- Representing the UAE, H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Commercial Affairs Regulatory Sector at the Ministry of Economy, participated in the 63rd Series of Meetings of the Assembly of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 14 to July 22.

In his speech at the session, H.E. Al Nuaimi outlined the UAE’s efforts to develop its intellectual property (IP) legislation in line with international best practices. These include the modernization of three laws, namely, regulation and protection of Industrial Property Rights, Trademarks, and Copyright and Neighboring Rights, which contributed to improving the country’s IP environment, which in turn provided a boost to innovation and research and development activities in the UAE.

The legislative changes ensure integrated protection for trademarks and the works of authors and creators, paving way for opportunities and possibilities to attract leading and innovative projects from all over the world to the UAE and encouraging investment in new economic sectors. These enhance the UAE’s position as one of the leading destinations in the fields of innovation and knowledge economy.

H.E. Al Nuaimi said: “The UAE has made great efforts to develop its IP rights protection system in order to make it a mainstay for supporting innovation and creativity by both individuals and organizations in the society and achieve sustainable economic development. Through the comprehensive and qualitative development of IP laws and regulations, we have established an environment free of IP infringement crimes, in line with the goals and principles of the 50 and the determinants of the UAE Centennial 2071.”

H.E. added: “The UAE commends WIPO’s efforts to drive intellectual property discussions in leading technology sectors, such as AI and IoT, and their role in promoting the growth of digital fields both regionally and globally, which in turn supports the growth of creativity based global economies.” H.E. also pointed out the importance of looking into adding a multilingual functionality to all of WIPO systems, especially the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, in order to remove language barriers and improve the quality of the services provided by the Organization to its members.

The Assistant Undersecretary then underlined the UAE’s keenness to work alongside its international partners to benefit from the opportunities and address the challenges that creatives and authors face in the creative and cultural sectors. The UAE is committed to providing all the support they need in order to grow and consolidating the global and regional efforts to support the environment of innovation and creativity, he added.

Furthermore, H.E. Al Nuaimi clarified that the UAE has witnessed substantial developments in the collective management system in transcription, music, and other creative sectors in literature, science, and various arts, in addition to the digital world and new economy sectors such as programming and smart applications. The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association (ERRA) is the first of its kind in the region, which aims to protect the rights of authors and publishers in line with the country’s efforts to support the growth of the creative economy sectors. This coincides with the national strategy for cultural and creative industries that aims to consolidate the UAE’s position as a leading global destination for the cultural and creative industries.

The Assistant Undersecretary also introduced the participating countries to the UAE’s vision for the transition to a knowledge and innovation based economic model by executing a number of projects in line with the Projects of the 50.

On the sidelines of the WIPO session, H.E. Al Nuaimi held a bilateral meeting with Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, who praised the UAE’s efforts in developing the fields of innovation, creativity, and knowledge and enhancing the entrepreneurial environment and increasing its attractiveness, as the UAE currently ranks number one on the Global Innovation Index. The two sides discussed various aspects of collaboration between the UAE and WIPO in a number of areas, most notably the UAE’s strategy to develop its IP ecosystem. It positions IP as an enabler for the growth of business, trade, investments, economy, and society.