A
- Acceptance قبول الطلب
- The Ministry’s decision that the mark can go ahead. It is then published for opposition.
- Applicant مقدم الطلب
- The person or company that files the application and will own the registered trademark.
- Assignment (transfer) نقل الملكية
- Selling or giving a trademark to someone else. It must be recorded with the Ministry to have effect against others. More →
C
- Central attack الهجوم المركزي
- If the home mark falls within five years, the international registration falls with it. It can usually be turned into national applications within 3 months. More →
- Class فئة
- One of the 45 groups of goods or services. Each class in a UAE application costs the full official fee. More →
- Clearance search بحث مسبق
- A check, before filing, for earlier marks that are the same or similar. It avoids refusals and oppositions. More →
- Colour claim المطالبة بالألوان
- Registering a logo in specific colours. Filing in black and white usually protects it in any colour. More →
- Counterfeit السلع المقلدة
- Goods that copy a brand to pass as the real thing. UAE customs and economic departments can seize them. More →
- Customs recordation تسجيل العلامة لدى الجمارك
- Recording a registered mark with an emirate’s customs so it can stop fake goods at the border. More →
D
- Descriptive mark علامة وصفية
- A mark that only describes the goods (“Fresh Bakery”). Usually refused unless it has become known through use. More →
- Designation تعيين دولة
- Naming a country (for example the UAE) in a Madrid application so protection is extended there.
- Disclaimer التنازل عن جزء من العلامة
- A statement that no exclusive right is claimed in a common part of the mark, such as a descriptive word.
- Distinctiveness الصفة المميزة
- How well a mark points to one business. Coined words are strong; words that describe or praise the product are weak. More →
E
- Examination الفحص
- The Ministry’s review of an application: is the mark distinctive, allowed and not too close to an earlier mark? Official fee AED 750 per class. More →
F
- Figurative mark (logo) علامة تصويرية
- A trademark for a logo or a stylised name. It protects the design as filed; a new logo usually needs a new application. More →
- Filing date تاريخ الإيداع
- The date the application was filed. Protection runs from it, and it decides who was first.
- First to file الأسبقية في الإيداع
- The UAE rule that the first to file a mark — not the first to use it — usually gets it. File early.
G
- Goods and services list قائمة السلع والخدمات
- The exact list of what your trademark covers. Your protection is limited to it, so it must match what you sell — not too vague, not too narrow. More →
- Grace period مهلة السماح
- The 6 months after expiry in which a UAE trademark can still be renewed, at a higher fee. More →
- Grievance committee لجنة التظلمات
- The committee that hears challenges against Ministry decisions on trademarks (official fee AED 5,000). Its decisions can go to the Federal Court of Appeal. More →
I
- Infringement التعدي
- Using a mark that is the same as or confusingly similar to a registered one, for related goods or services, without permission. More →
- International registration (IR) التسجيل الدولي
- A trademark registered through the Madrid System, with an IR number, covering the countries it designates. More →
L
- Licence الترخيص
- Permission for someone else to use your mark, for example a franchisee or distributor. It can be recorded with the Ministry. More →
- Likelihood of confusion احتمال اللبس
- The test for conflict: would customers think the goods come from the same source? It weighs how alike the marks look, sound and mean, and how related the goods are. More →
M
- Madrid System نظام مدريد
- WIPO’s system for one international application covering many countries. The UAE joined it with effect from 28 December 2021. More →
N
- Nice Classification تصنيف نيس
- The international list of 45 classes (34 for goods, 11 for services) used to group what a trademark covers. The UAE uses it for every application. More →
- Non-use cancellation الشطب لعدم الاستعمال
- Removing a registration that has not been used for five consecutive years, at the request of an interested party. More →
O
- Objection (office action) اعتراض / ملاحظات الفحص
- The Ministry’s notice that something must change before the mark can be accepted. You usually have 30 days to respond. More →
- One-day examination الفحص المستعجل
- A faster examination, within one working day, for AED 2,250 per class instead of AED 750. More →
- Opposition المعارضة
- A challenge by a third party against a published mark, filed within 30 days of publication. Official fee AED 7,500. More →
- Opposition period مدة المعارضة
- The 30 days after publication in which anyone with an interest can oppose the mark. More →
P
- Power of attorney توكيل
- The document that lets an agent act for you. Foreign owners usually need it notarised, legalised and translated into Arabic. More →
- Priority حق الأولوية
- The right to use the date of an earlier application abroad if you file in the UAE within six months of it (Paris Convention).
- Provisional refusal الرفض المؤقت
- A designated country’s notice, sent through WIPO, that it cannot protect the international mark as it is. It must be answered through a local agent.
- Publication النشر
- The announcement of an accepted mark in the gazette, which starts the 30-day opposition period. Official fee AED 750 per class.
R
- Refusal رفض التسجيل
- A decision not to register the mark. It can be challenged before the grievance committee within 30 days. More →
- Registration التسجيل
- The final step: after the opposition period you pay AED 5,000 per class and the mark is entered in the register.
- Registration certificate شهادة التسجيل
- The document issued by the Ministry showing the mark is registered, its number, classes and dates. More →
- Renewal التجديد
- Extending a registration for another 10 years. In the UAE it is done in the last year, or within 6 months after expiry at a higher fee. More →
S
- Service mark علامة خدمة
- A trademark for services rather than goods — restaurants, consulting, software services. In the UAE it is filed the same way, in classes 35–45.
T
- Term of protection مدة الحماية
- How long a registration lasts: 10 years from the filing date in the UAE, renewable without limit.
- Trade name الاسم التجاري
- The name on your trade licence. It is not a trademark — it does not stop others registering your brand. More →
- Trademark علامة تجارية
- A sign — a word, logo, shape, sound or a mix — that tells customers your goods or services come from you. Registered in the UAE with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. More →
- Trademark agent وكيل علامات تجارية
- A person or firm registered with the Ministry to file and handle trademarks for others. Owners based outside the UAE must use one. More →
- Trademark gazette (bulletin) نشرة العلامات التجارية
- The official publication in which accepted marks, registrations, renewals and changes are announced, about twice a month. More →
- Trademark watch مراقبة العلامات
- A service that checks new filings for marks similar to yours, so you can oppose in time. More →
W
- Well-known mark العلامة المشهورة
- A mark known widely enough to get protection even for unrelated goods, or without registration.
- Word mark علامة لفظية
- A trademark for the name alone, in plain letters, without design. It protects the name in any font or colour, so it is usually the widest protection. More →
A plain-language guide, not legal advice. Arabic terms as commonly used in UAE trademark practice.