В ОАЭ права на бренд возникают только после регистрации, а не после использования символа ™

Quick Overview Can a business use the ™ symbol in its company name before any trademark registration is completed, and what legal effect does that use have? - Using ™ is generally allowed without registration and mainly signals a claim to the brand. - Using ® without an issued registration can be misleading and may expose the business to penalties. - In the UAE, trademark rights generally come from registration, so filing first is important; DED trade-name registration is not the same as trademark registration. Generated from the attorney responses below. Best Attorney Response Short answer: yes, using ™ is generally fine — but it probably isn't doing what you think it's doing. There are two symbols, and the difference matters: ™ simply signals "we claim this as our brand." You don't need any registration to use it. It's a notice, not a legal status. ® means "this mark is officially registered." Using it when you haven't registered is a different story — in most jurisdictions, including the UAE, that's treated as a false or misleading claim and can expose you to penalties. Never use ® until your registration certificate is actually issued. So if you're adding ™ to your company name, you're not doing anything wrong. Here's the part people usually miss, though. The UAE is a first-to-file jurisdiction under Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks. Your rights come from registering, not from using the mark or putting ™ next to it. Unlike some common-law countries where long use can build up rights, in the UAE the person who files first is generally the one who owns it. Which means: if someone else registers your brand name before you do, the ™ you've been displaying gives you very little to fight with. One more common mix-up worth clearing up: registering your trade name with the DED when you set up the company is not a trademark registration. They're two separate systems, handled by different authorities. Plenty of business owners assume their trade licence protects their brand — it generally doesn't. Practically, if the brand matters to your business: Run a clearance search first, to check nobody has already registered something similar File the trademark application in the relevant classes for your actual activities Keep using ™ in the meantime — it's free and it signals intent Switch to ® only once the registration is granted Using ™ is a placeholder. Registration is the protection. If it helps, we've put together a general overview of trademark and IP matters in the UAE here: https://legaladviceus.com/en/intellectual-property-services/ This is general information, not legal advice. Trademark outcomes depend heavily on your specific mark, class and circumstances, and the law changes — confirm your situation with a licensed UAE lawyer. Still need legal help? Ask your own question or find attorneys who handle Business Law.