The Importance of Trademarks for Your Domain & How To Protect Your UAE Brand

Creating a brand is not an easy task. It took a lot of planning, so it is natural to forget small details along the way. Before you get caught up in themes and content, it’s crucial to consider securing an applicable domain name for your brand and protect it with a trademark.

With the rapid growth of E-commerce in UAE and other middle east countries, domain name disputes are becoming common. So, legislation has been put into place to ensure its protection online. In the UAE, domain names fall under the authority of the AE Domain Administration (aeDA) with the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA).

In this article, we point out why you need to trademark your domain and why trademarks are important for your domain name.

What Is a Trademark Domain Name?

A trademark is a name, logo, or device used to identify a product or service and distinguish it from other competitors.

A domain name is more than just an address; it is closely associated with a particular product or service. But not every domain can qualify for trademark protection. Common or generic domain names do not usually meet the criteria of a trademark.

Domain name trademark applies to a domain if:

• The domain name owner is the first to use it in association with the sale of goods or services.
  It is distinctive from the consumer association of the name and the internet business.
• When a trademark protects a domain name, the owner has the right to prohibit the use of similar or mispelled names by others.

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Reasons To Trademark Your Domain Name

Domain name disputes can arise, so it’s important to have protection under the law. Make sure you don’t use generic words in your trademark domain name, and it must convey what products or services are behind it.

A trademark domain name will:

Maintain Your Rights

The first reason to register a trademark is to ensure that nobody can use your brand name without your consent. If your domain name is protected by a trademark, the URL has protection under trademark law. If someone uses a similar domain, you can legally stop them from using your trademark.

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Protect Your Image

Your image is at risk if someone uses low-quality similar products that confuse the consumers with your merchandise. Protecting your domain with a trademark allows you to maintain control of your online image.

Note: if you register a domain name without checking if there are similar domain names already registered, you could infringe upon another company’s trademarked domain name. A lawsuit of trademark infringement can cost you $100,00 or more. So it’s important to check before registering a domain that the domain name you want is already trademarked. You can use trademark tools to find it out.

Why Are Trademarks Important for Your Domain?

Business owners need to understand why trademarks are important assets and help grow their business. Here are the seven main reasons why trademarks are important for your business domain.

Trademarks Create Brand Recognition

To startups, trademarks grant the security of their brand. By trademarking your brand name, i.e. your domain name, you can make its services and products distinctive from your competitors, becoming their intellectual property. Doing so prevents your opponent from copying or stealing your brand.

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Trademarks Make It Easy for People To Find You

As the days pass, marketplaces are becoming crowded, and it’s hard to differentiate your brand from your competitors. Trademarks are an efficient communication tool to capture customers’ attention and make your business stand out from the crowd.

When customers view a trademark, they immediately know who they are dealing with, your brand’s reputation and are less likely to think of alternatives. Your brand could be a critical factor in converting leads into sales.

Trademarks Allow Businesses To Utilize Social Media Effectively

When looking for your products and services, your brand name is the first thing users enter into a search engine or social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Higher traffic on websites or social media platforms results in higher rankings that ultimately bring even more traffic, customers and brand recognition.

Trademarks Are Valuable Assets

A trademark can act as a catalyst to bring in value over time, As a startup business matures and expands. The more your brand reputation grows, the more valuable it will be. Thus it’s important to use a trademark for marketing strategies to enhance brand recognition and draw in more customers.

Once a startup has achieved a positive reputation for its product or services, customers will associate its trademark with how the company is running.

Trademarks are extremely beneficial when a business wants to:

• Diversify their products or services.
• Turns branch into franchising via licensing.
• Achieve more value by putting up for sale.

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Trademarks Are an Incentive for Employees To Join

Especially for startups who want to expand their business, it’s important to preserve a positive reputation by having a trademark.

Brands can inspire positive feelings and trust in people, and as a result, employment opportunities are more attractive to candidates who are inclined to work with the brand and for the brand.

Trademarks Tell People That You Mean Business

It’s no secret that trademarks add credence to a business name. For example: can you imagine Disney didn’t trademark their brand? Think of legal destruction that would arise; people would be fighting very fiercely to be able to profit from the kingdom of success that surrounds their trademarked brand.

If your business has a trademarked to its brand, it informs the world and your competitors that you have faith in the success of your business and they have something worth stealing. Indeed, it sounds morbid, but it’s true.

Wouldnt you protect something that is worth it? Registering a trademark for your brand can shine a different light on you in the eyes of your target audience.

Trademarks Are for Life

Trademarks never expire as long as you use them in the United States. Some of the most popular brands in the US today have been around for over a hundred years. i.e. Pepsi-Cola was registered in 1896.

In the UAE, if you register a trademark, you can enjoy protection for ten years. The brand owners can renew their trademarks in the UAE every ten years if they apply for the process. The trademark renewal application should be submitted within the last year of the protection period. Brand owners can consult reputed trademark agents to file a trademark renewal application for successful trademark registration in the UAE.

Your brand is a critical asset. Do your due diligence before investing time and money to launch a new brand. Make sure your brand fits your company, and it doesn’t infringe on anyone’s prior rights.

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Wrapping Up

Registering a trademark for your domain should be a top priority. It will protect the business and enable success in the long run. Whatever goals you have for your brand – local or international – always take pride in your Emirati cultural identity. In choosing a .ae extension, you choose a safe, reliable, and trustworthy Emirati identity, and with the Ministry of Economy UAE, you will securely protect your brand with a UAE trademark.

Keep in mind that the more you distinguish your brand from others, the easier it will be to protect. Choose a name and a logo that identify your business and will protect it from competitors.

So, register your .ae domain today and protect it with a trademark. And don’t forget to check our UAE based hosting plans.