The UAE Government has declared this year the Year of Innovation, with Dh4.5 billion being invested to make Dubai a centre of invention.
But before the UAE’s growing number of innovators get around to commercialising their ideas, they are advised first to patent them.
A patent, the oldest form of intellectual-property protection, is a legal document giving, for a set time, a monopoly on making, using and selling an invention.
Patents were first issued in the Arab world in 1916 in Morocco, followed by Lebanon in 1924, and most of the rest of the Middle East in the 1940s and 1950s.
The GCC Patent Office, in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, provides a centralised system for obtaining protection in all six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Since the office was established in 1998, the number of patents filed has been rising steadily. More than 1,000 applications have been received so far this year.
The process
According to Ahmad Al-Zou’bi, a patent consultant at the Abu Dhabi law firm Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP), an intellectual property agent is an essential part of the process of filing for a patent, no matter where you live or work.
“They can make the necessary follow-up on filing procedures and annuities with the patent offices around the world,” he explains.
Emiratis are advised to call on the services of the Abu Dhabi Technology and Development Committee, which offers support through its Tamakul programme.
Since 2007, Tamakul has been providing legal and financial assistance for international patent filing across a broad range of sectors, including oil and gas, advanced materials, healthcare, medical, clean technology and information and communications technology.
More than 110 patents have been filed internationally under the programme to date and, although most are by universities and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, individuals are also eligible for help.
Most Tamakul-supported patents are filed in the United States, although many UAE inventors choose to file their patents closer to home.
AGIP, which has 28 offices worldwide, claims to handle a majority of the patent applications filed from the UAE. Al-Zou’bi says most of the inventors the firm works with seek protection first in their country of origin, followed by other territories within a 12-month priority period.
“The applicant should have a clear vision of the marketing area of his invention and he should carefully select the regions in which he can succeed,” he says.
Local applications are filed at the UAE Patent Office in Abu Dhabi, where patent protection is granted for inventions deemed novel, inventive and useful.
“Most patents filed in the UAE are concentrated in the sectors of information technology, petrochemicals [covering mechanical and chemical-related innovations] and pharmaceuticals,” says Ahmad Saleh, regional head of patents at Dubai law firm Al Tamimi & Company.
UAE patent applications must be filed in English and Arabic, accompanied by supporting documents, including power of attorney, an assignment where the applicant is not the inventor, and a commercial licence (in cases where the applicant is a commercial entity).
Applications can be also filed at the GCC Patent Office, which gives protection that is valid in all six GCC countries.
However, Saleh advises careful consideration before going down this route, warning: “There are still uncertainties with regard to the enforcement of a GCC patent in the UAE.”
When an application has been filed in the UAE or the GCC office, it is examined for compliance with a technical- specification format, including the technical background and description of any drawings. The application then receives a filing number and the filing date is secured. A search report is prepared to check whether the invention is new and unique, and substantive examinations are carried out by engineers and experts. If the local Patent Office does not have the required expertise, the application is sent to partners at the Austrian Patent Office.
Any interested party – including other inventors or competing businesses – can file an objection within 60 days from the date of publication in an industrial journal.
Three months after publication, the letters patent or the utility certificate is issued to the applicant, provided no objection has been filed. It then usually takes another four or five years before the patent is granted.
The term of protection is 20 years from the filing date, as long as annual maintenance annuities are paid. No extension is allowed. Annuity for the second year is US$300 (Dh1,101) in the UAE and $635 (Dh2,332) for a patent filed at the GCC office.
artslife@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Crime%20Wave
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The years Ramadan fell in May
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
More from UAE Human Development Report:
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE%20SQUAD
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The%20specs
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
