Patent

A patent is an exclusive right granted by the State for a new invention — whether a product or a process — that is novel, involves an inventive step, and is industrially applicable. In the UAE, patents are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2021 on the Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property and are granted by the Ministry of Economy after substantive examination. Protection lasts 20 years from the filing date, subject to annual maintenance fees; utility certificates last 10 years. The UAE is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), so international applications can designate the UAE. Infringement can be enforced by civil action for damages and injunction, and by criminal action for deliberate infringement. Employee inventions are governed by specific rules that allocate rights between employer and inventor based on circumstance.