Q: Online social community - start-up (seed stage). Myself and 3 of my partners are currently finalizing investors proposal (pitch deck) to raise funding capital. Prior approaching investors, we wanted to enquire about intellectual property protection and copyrights. Wanted to get an understanding of how this can be done here in UAE for it to be valid on a global level and how much would it cost. We are looking for brand logo copyright registration, user design/experience copyright registration and potential the idea itself. Would be great to get your advice. Many thanks, Aziz

Q: Hi there, I would like to seek help from a lawyer with expertise in data protection, privacy policy and reviewing terms of use for an app which gathers lifestyle/activity data about users (e.g. no. of daily steps etc) to see if our practices are compliant with requirements in the UAE. Thanks

Q: British national - now based in the UK - hoping to establish a sales agent or commission agreement with a local Dubai company distributing IT, Mobile accessories and gadgets to retailers in the region. Seeking a short and Simple agreement to protect both parties fairly.

Q: Dear Sir, I am a professional photographer. I want to get my photographs protected worldwide. How is it possible? And what all documents are needed? Many thanks

Q: Hi there! I would like to know, what are the legal requirements for publishing and selling digital goods (such as mobile apps, mobile advertisements, digital paintings, etc.) in Abu Dhabi/ the UAE?

Q: Hi, I have a company that designs and manufactures solar powered products. I do the design and the products are manufactured by local workshops. I would like to draw a contract/agreement with the workshop to guarantee the work for my client. I would like this to be legally binding. Q1: How can I make this agreement legally binding so the supplier can fix any problems with the product should any come up? Q2: How much will it cost to draw this agreement if I provide all the details related to what may go wrong with the workshop craftsmanship? In fact, all I need is to take the details I will supply and make the agreement professional. Thanks, Ali

Q: Is it illegal to post an explicit song in Dubai? And does adding a sticker stating that it contains explicit content make it okay?

Q: Sir, Can we use the copyright symbol in memes and photographs created by us without registering it? We are posting it on Instagram and other social media channels. We want to show that we created it. Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Q: I have a shop in an eCommerce store, I have a trade license under General Trading here in the UAE that allows me to sell, buy, export... etc. products. I got an email from the store asking me to sign an attestation regarding all of my products for branded and copyrighted items. I sell Korean products that I buy from the source and sometimes from smaller shops that were able to get the products before me. Among the products that they gave me as examples were a shirt and pants-inspired outfit from a well-known Korean show. This was handmade by a small business in Korea. The show did not to my knowledge (even after research) sell such merch. I know that if someone sold a fake item that the brand sold it means they are infringing the copyright, but I am still unsure of the item mentioned above and if what I think is correct.

Intellectual Property! The concept seems to some individuals to represent an ambiguous abstraction. To others it represents incongruity. But for many, without a doubt, Intellectual Property (IP) is a potent tool. IP is an intangible asset and is a legal concept for which rights are recognised for the human mind’s creativity. Under this specialised law, owners are granted rights to diverse intangible assets such as inventions, words, phrases, symbols, designs, artistic works and such.

As the need arose to create laws for the protection of personal properties like movable and immovable assets and regulation of transferring their rights of ownership, it had also become crucial to regulate the intellectual property rights as in artistic and literary works, inventions, companies' logos and products/services...etc. Seeking to protect such rights requires a basic knowledge about their origin and significance.

The UAE Copyright Law provides protection to authors of the works and owners of related rights in case of violation of their rights within the United Arab Emirates. Protection of the law does not include ideas, procedures, work methods, mathematical concepts, abstract principles and facts, but however extends to the innovative expression of any thereof.

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law, known as the "New Copyright Law", govern Copyright regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Copyright Law repeals the previous UAE Copyright Law (Federal Law No. (7) of 2002 On Copyrights and Related Rights).