Revision of the Fee Schedules in Monaco and UAE
The intellectual property office of Monaco has announced a slight increase in fees charged for patent maintenance, whilst the intellectual property office of the United Arab Emirates has reduced a majority of its trademark fees.
The increase in annual fees for patents in Monaco was enforced on April 1, 2020, constituting small rises throughout. The annual fees for the first 4 years of patent validity have not been altered, with the amendments beginning from the 5th year fee. As such, the annual fees for years 5 to 10 rose by 5 EUR respectively. Annuity payments for years 11 to 14 have risen by 10 EUR each, whilst fees for years 15 to 20 have increased by 15 EUR per year. These changes mark the first amendments to Monaco’s annual fees in over 2 years, with the last revision in December 2017.
The amendments to a wide scope of trademark fees in the UAE have been implemented in line with economic relief measures set forth by the government. These have been introduced in light of the current global economic climate, largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In force from April 5, 2020, the alterations are hoped to encourage trademark filings with the UAE IP office due to the reduction in expenditure needed for protection of trademarks. The government of the UAE implemented initial reductions in July 2019, which sought to mitigate the general perception that UAE trademark fees were above average compared to other IP offices. The new amendments demonstrate further reductions, bringing the UAE to a more affordable level for trademark applicants. Overall, the cost from filing to registration of a trademark in the UAE has fallen from AED 8700 to 6500 AED.
The fee for trademark filing itself has decreased from 1000 AED to 750 AED, whilst the fee for a trademark search has been reduced from 500 AED to 350 AED. The publication fee for a mark has also dropped from 1000 AED to 750 AED. Please note that the actual publication fee may differ as the publication of a mark in the UAE must also occur in two local newspapers. The fees for publication in the newspapers are therefore determined by the size of the advertisement and are not within the scope of the official fees.
The fees for registration and renewal of a trademark will now constitute 5000 AED, having decreased from 6700 AED. It is worth noting that before the previous alterations in July 2019, both registration and renewal constituted 10,000 AED, marking a 50% drop in less than a year.
In addition to the aforementioned basic fees, various other trademark fees have also been amended, including the fee for the filing of an opposition which has dropped by 2500 AED from 10,000 AED to 7500 AED.
The alterations to national fees reflect the ever-changing economic climate across the globe. It is hoped that these changes will allow for a more accessible protection process for trademark applicants and encourage further filings in the UAE.