Dubai Makes Its Intellectual Property Clinic for Emirati Founders a Permanent Service

The service is aimed at a familiar problem for small companies: founders often treat IP registration as paperwork and don't plan it. Brands, names and distinctive ideas can be worth more than a young business's physical assets, yet they are easy to leave unprotected. Without clear ownership, they are harder to use when raising money, franchising or expanding abroad.

Sessions are led by DFF. Advisers go through each founder's business, brand and what sets it apart, to identify assets that may be worth protecting. They also explain trademark classes and ownership issues, and help founders decide which steps to take first.

Ahmad Al Room Almheiri, chief executive of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), which is part of DET, said some of the most valuable things entrepreneurs create are intangible, including their brand, identity and the ideas that set their business apart. "Protecting those assets early can become an important foundation for growth," he said. He said the clinic was meant to move Emirati founders "from awareness to action" and to show how stronger ownership can support investment, franchising and expansion.

The clinic sits within the Dubai IP Hub, which DFF and the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism launched in 2024. The hub offers guidance and resources to innovators, start-ups, researchers and artists, from planning and registration to managing and commercialising their IP.

The programme is also tied to the Dubai Economic Agenda, known as D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate's economy by 2033 and make Dubai a stronger hub for small and mid-sized businesses.

The announcement did not say how many founders took part in the pilot or whether sessions carry a fee. Eligible Emirati founders can register their interest through DFF's website.