Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development Trademarks Search

Trademark databases offer information about words, phrases, figures, or a combination of the above globally or in the UAE. A comprehensive search is required to verify that your idea isn't already protected by a trademark owned by other parties. This will help you avoid infringing registered trademarks in similar groups of goods and services.

Trade name vs. trademark

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) checks and reserves trade names for business licences. It does not register trademarks. A trade-name reservation gives no right to stop others using the same brand, and an ADDED search does not tell you whether a trademark is free.

Where to search trademarks for Abu Dhabi

Trademarks are federal: one register at the Ministry of Economy & Tourism covers Abu Dhabi and every other emirate. Search it on the MoET trademark portal in Arabic and English, in every relevant class, and include pending applications. Once cleared, register the trademark – fees are AED 6,500 per class. Most Abu Dhabi businesses need both the ADDED trade name and the MoET trademark.

How to check a trade name with ADDED

1. Open the Abu Dhabi Business Centre (ADDED) online services or the TAMM portal.
2. Use the trade-name availability check to see whether the name is reserved or licensed in Abu Dhabi.
3. If free, reserve it (fee applies) and proceed with the licence.

This tells you whether you can put the name on an Abu Dhabi licence. It tells you nothing about trademark rights in Abu Dhabi or elsewhere in the UAE.

How to run a trademark search covering Abu Dhabi

1. Open the MoET e-services trademark search (no login needed).
2. Search the exact name, then phonetic variants, in English and in Arabic transliteration.
3. Check every class you will trade in and the related classes.
4. Include pending and published marks – they block you as much as registered ones.
5. For logos and well-known marks, commission a professional clearance search.

Do both, in this order

Search the trademark register first. If the name is free as a trademark, reserve the trade name, then file the trademark immediately – the UAE is first-to-file and the trade-name reservation gives you no priority. Details of the Abu Dhabi process and fees: trademark registration in Abu Dhabi.