(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The UAE's Ministry of Economy and Tourism on Tuesday announced a 50 per cent reduction in all trademark fees for its National SME Programme members.

Under the new amendments, the ministry announced that people of determination are fully exempted from the trademark services fees.

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The ministry also set the fees for 28 trademark services, including amendments to some service fees, integration, and the introduction of new services.

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Notable changes include the fee for filing an infringement complaint, which is set at Dh2,250, and the fee for a grievance by the party against whom the objection was dismissed which is set at Dh7,500.

The trademark fees are collected for a single category if the application includes only one category, and separately for each category in the case of multiple categories, even if submitted within a single application.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, said this decision will enhance the UAE's“attractiveness to international investors, attracting global companies, and supporting SME owners and people of determination".

The National Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises and Projects is aimed at supporting UAE entrepreneurs to strategise and satisfy their needs, as well as grow and sustain their business in collaboration with all stakeholders.

Dr Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, assistant undersecretary for the intellectual property (IP) sector at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, said any company registered with the National SME Programme can apply for the 50 per cent discount.

“This will support and increase the number of registrations in our database,” he said.

In addition, seven new trademark services were also approved. These include registration of a geographical indication at Dh6,500; one-day trademark examination at Dh2,250; grievance against trademark cancellation at Dh5,000; conversion of a national trademark to international at Dh400; trademark agent registration renewal (branch of a foreign company) at Dh7,500; grievance against trademark registration refusal at Dh5,000; and examination and study of claims at Dh2,250.

The ministry also consolidated fees for four services related to trademark renewal. These include renewal of trademark protection period during the final year of protection at Dh5,750; renewal within six months after the protection period ends at Dh6,500; renewal of monitoring and inspection mark during the final year of protection at Dh8,250; and renewal of monitoring and inspection mark within six months after the protection period ends at Dh9,750.

Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, said a host of initiatives have been taken by the ministry to support innovation in the country which include the establishment of the Geographical Indications (GI) system for national products; joining the Madrid Protocol in 2021, enabling SME owners to register their trademarks locally and expand internationally; the 'One Day TM Initiative,' which accelerates trademark registration processes and facilitates the digital transformation of services among others.

Abdulla Al Marri pointed out that the Ministry of Economy and Tourism registered 19,957 national and international trademarks during the first half of this year, representing a 129 per cent growth compared to 8,711 trademarks registered in the first half of 2024, reflecting the notable growth in trademark registrations within the UAE markets.

The total number of registered national and international trademarks in the UAE reached 402,311 by the end of September 2025.

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