Connect with us

Agnes Isika Blog

UAE Approves Largest Legislative Reform In Its History, Adds 40 New Laws

UAE Approves Largest Legislative Reform In Its History, Adds 40 New Laws

President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE); Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has officially approved a wide-ranging reform of the country’s legal system, with over 40 laws included among the draft of new laws and legislative amendments, according to an official announcement.

The draft of legislative reforms came during the “Year of the 50th” and are intended to keep pace with the developmental achievements of the UAE and reflect the country’s future aspirations, read a report of the approved changes by state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM).

“The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, including investment, trade and industry, as well as commercial company, regulation and protection of industrial property, copyright, trademarks, commercial register, electronic transactions, trust services, factoring, and residency, in addition to laws related to society and personal security including as the Crime and Punishment Law, the Online Security Law, and a laws regulating the production, sale and use of narcotics and psychotropic substances,” WAM reported.

The new legislative changes came after intensive coordination at both the local and federal levels, where teams comprising 540 specialists and experts from 50 federal and local authorities have worked together over the past five months in consultation with over 100 private sector organizations in order to reflect global best practice in the new legal provisions.

The amendments to the Law on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services aim to keep pace with technological development and enhance ongoing digital transformation.

The law gives digital signatures the same weight as a handwritten signature, a step that obviates the need for personal presence in order to seal transactions and supporting the globally-based completion of government transactions such as contracts and agreements using a digital signature, provided that the country where the transaction originates has adopted sophisticated authentication mechanism and trust services similar to the UAE standards.

The Law of Electronic Transactions and Trust Services facilitates a wide range of civil and commercial transactions, including marriage, personal status, notary and real estate services such as renting, buying, selling and amending contracts.

Industrial property rights: The law aims to protect industrial property and regulate the procedures for its registration, use, exploitation, and assignment, to ensure support for knowledge and innovation and to enhance the UAE’s competitiveness in the field of industrial property rights while adopting best international practices and standards.

The UAE industrial property rights law is dedicated to patents, industrial designs, integrated circuits, non-disclosure agreements and utility certificates. It applies across the UAE (including free zones).

The law is concerned with applications and details surrounding the eligibility for patents and utility certificates and provides details about the conditions for granting patents.

The law includes sections on compulsory licenses, addressing the rights of the license holder, the multiplicity of compulsory licenses, and the exception to the conditions of compulsory licensing by the court.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Latest News

TrueTalk with Agnes

Today's Quote

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

— Apple Inc.

Trending

Contributors

LAGOS WEATHER
To Top