On 30 July 2026, UAE legal practitioners issued updated brand-protection guidance that shifts the focus from obtaining a trademark certificate to building an enforcement system around it. Registration with the Ministry of Economy remains the legal foundation, but the guidance stresses that it may not be enough against counterfeit imports, unauthorised marketplace sellers and rapidly changing digital listings. Rights holders are therefore encouraged to record their marks with customs authorities across the relevant emirates and to use the official registration certificate to enrol in tools such as Amazon Brand Registry.
The practical point is straightforward: customs recordal can help stop suspect goods at the physical border, while platform registration can activate automated monitoring, predictive protection and faster takedown channels online. Brands facing bad-faith filings or repeated marketplace infringement should align ownership records, customs documents, platform accounts and evidence-retention procedures before a dispute arises. Treating enforcement as a sequence of isolated complaints is increasingly too slow for sellers that can relist, switch storefronts or reroute stock within days.
