Own the name, not just use it
Trademark & Brand Registration in UAE
Your trade name lets you register a company. A trademark is what lets you stop someone else using your brand.
GCC business setup specialists
Two different things, routinely confused
Founders assume the name on the licence protects the brand. It does not. Registration is also first-come in practice, so the longer you trade unregistered, the greater the chance someone else registers what you have been building.
- Search before filing, not optimism
- Classes chosen for what you actually sell
- Filing handled end to end
20+
Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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What is protected
Trade name against trademark
They are granted by different processes and do different jobs.
| Trade name | Trademark | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Lets you register and operate the company under that name | Gives you rights in the brand for the goods or services registered |
| Granted by | The licensing authority | The trademark registry |
| Scope | The register of company names | The classes of goods or services you register in |
| Stops others using it? | No | That is its purpose, within the registered classes |
| Covers a logo? | No | Yes, where the mark is filed in that form |
| Lasts | While the licence is maintained | A fixed term, renewable |
Classification, examination and opposition procedures are set by the registry and change. Scope and prospects are assessed before filing rather than assumed.
How it works
From search to registered mark
The search is the cheapest part and the one most often skipped.
01
Search and classes
We search the register for conflicts and identify the classes covering what you actually sell — now and in the near future. You get an honest view of the prospects.
02
File
The application is filed in the agreed classes, in the form you intend to use the mark, with the supporting documents the registry requires.
03
Examination to registration
Examination, publication and any opposition period are followed through, queries answered, and the registration certificate issued.
To file
What a trademark application needs
Filing in the wrong classes is expensive to correct later.
- The mark exactly as you intend to use it
- Logo artwork in the required format
- A list of the goods and services you sell
- Any goods or services planned within the next year
- Applicant details — company or individual
- Trade licence of the applicant company
- Passport copy of the applicant or signatory
- Power of attorney, notarised and attested
- Priority documents, if claiming an earlier filing
- Evidence of existing use, where available
- Registrations you hold in other countries
- Any objection or dispute already raised
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Register search for conflicting marks
- Class identification for your goods and services
- Honest assessment of registration prospects
- Preparation and filing of the application
- Responses to examination queries
- Monitoring through publication
- Guidance on the opposition period
- Registration certificate issued to you
Not included, quoted separately
- Registry fees, paid at cost
- Fees per additional class
- Logo and brand design
- Searches in other countries
- Filings outside the UAE
- Opposition and cancellation proceedings, quoted separately
- Enforcement against infringers
- Renewal at the end of the term, quoted separately
Verify independently
Official UAE authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Federal Tax AuthorityMinistry of Human Resources & EmiratisationIdentity, Citizenship, Customs & Port SecurityAbu Dhabi Department of Economic DevelopmentIFZA — International Free Zone AuthorityUAE Government Portal
Questions
UAE trademark registration — FAQs
Does my trade name protect my brand?
No. The trade name lets you register the company. Stopping others using the brand requires trademark registration, and the two are granted by different bodies under different rules.
What are classes and how many do I need?
Goods and services are grouped into classes, and protection applies within the classes you register. Most businesses need more than one, and each carries its own fee, so we match them to what you actually sell.
Can I register a logo and a name?
Yes, and they are often filed separately because they protect different things. We will tell you which matters more for your business rather than selling you both by default.
How long does registration take?
Examination, publication and the opposition window take months rather than weeks, and the registry sets the pace. Filing early matters more than filing fast.
What if someone has already registered my name?
The search tells us before you spend on filing. Depending on the conflict, options range from adjusting the mark to considering different classes — we set out what is realistic rather than filing hopefully.
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At Black Swan Business Setup Services, our mission is simple: to empower entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes to establish and expand their presence in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and beyond.
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