Ministry Of Economy And Tourism Unveils TM Market Place To Enhance Trademark Trading In The UAE

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism has introduced 'TM Market Place', a pioneering digital platform in the UAE for trademark trading. This initiative aims to transform the intellectual property landscape, enhancing the UAE's appeal to global brands. The launch event took place at the Ministry's Abu Dhabi headquarters, attended by key figures including Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism.

Bin Touq stated: "TM Market Place is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and the UAE Government Leaders Programme. It is a unique initiative for the UAE and the region, enabling owners of trademarks registered in the UAE to list and trade their trademarks within a secure and transparent environment and connecting them with investors and entrepreneurs. It aligns with the forward-thinking leadership’s vision to foster a knowledge-based economy, develop new economic sectors, and support the competitiveness of the business environment."

The TM Market Place will aid SMEs and family businesses by converting trademark value into financial assets. This strategic resource supports innovation, sustainable development, and encourages private sector investment in brand building. The platform also facilitates trading intangible assets related to trademarks.

Bin Touq highlighted that this platform marks a significant step for intangible business assets in the UAE. It allows these assets to gain fair financial valuation by showcasing them to investors globally. This transformation into active economic assets is expected to boost company market values.

He added: "Through this platform, we will continue to pursue numerous developmental objectives - most notably the provision of an integrated, reliable, and secure digital tool that enables trademark owners to generate returns from their registered marks by easily and safely listing or selling them, while ensuring the highest levels of transparency and rights protection. It also facilitates access for investors and entrepreneurs from around the world to ready-made or promising trademarks in the UAE, by lowering their barriers to entering the local market and shortening the time to market and business growth."

The Ministry will oversee TM Market Place operations, ensuring adherence to national and international IP laws. Transactions are limited to trademarks registered in accordance with Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks. This ensures transparency, security, and protection for trademark owners.

Users must log in for transaction security on TM Market Place. The platform verifies identities reliably with seamless digital payment options for financial transactions. This mechanism ensures secure buying and selling processes.

Boosting Trademark Sector Attractiveness

The platform aims to increase market attractiveness by up to 20% within its first year. It seeks to enhance investment in intangible assets while supporting brand growth through innovative economic strategies.

The Ministry's efforts include developing legislative frameworks for IP enhancement with public-private partnerships. Key initiatives include issuing new trademark laws, revising service fees, developing geographical indication systems for national products, and joining international protocols like Madrid Protocol.

From January until early November 2025, 34,234 national and international trademarks were registered in the UAE. In 2024 alone, registrations doubled compared to 2023 figures. These efforts have significantly boosted growth in the trademark sector.

With inputs from WAM