اسأل محامٍ

Two parallel actions: (1) IP infringement at the Ministry of Economy for unauthorised reproduction of copyrighted works (your designs are protected from the moment of creation, no registration required for copyright); (2) civil damages claim at Dubai Courts for unjust enrichment + actual licence-equivalent fee. Step 1: send a takedown demand to the client and a DMCA notice to their hosting provider. Step 2: preserve evidence — Wayback Machine snapshots of the live site, original .ai/.psd files with creation timestamps, email chain showing pitch. Step 3: file civil suit; statutory damages can be 2-3x the licence fee plus legal costs.

Confirmation from a UAE-litigation perspective: the public-policy gate is the main hurdle. Avoid framing recovery in interest-heavy terms — UAE courts treat compound or above-statutory interest as contrary to Sharia public policy and will strike it out. Submit the net principal cleanly; interest claims at 12% Sharia-compatible rate are accepted.

Dubai Courts' Small Claims Tribunal handles disputes up to AED 100k — your matter falls within. File through Dubai Courts portal: case fee 6% of claim (recoverable from defendant), no advocate required but advisable. Average resolution 3-5 months. Bring the signed contract, delivery confirmations, invoices, and statements of account showing the debt. Pre-action letter via Notary giving 14 days improves the file. After judgment, execution involves bank-account attachment and travel ban — both are fast and effective.