Managing Intellectual Property

Tips on dealing with Sharia law

03 September 2010

Jason Chan, Hong Kong

Brand owners in the Middle East need to be aware of the underlying Islamic sensibilities that shape trade mark laws in the region, said speakers at the Asia-Pacific IP Forum yesterday

"To IP rights owners all around the world, this region has been a challenge," said Bilal Ahsan, a lawyer for United Trademark & Patent Services in Pakistan.

Ahsan led the panel in a session that explained the challenges of registering a trade mark in countries that follow Sharia law. "One has to be really mindful of the fact that even if there are specialised laws for any specific areas, Sharia will be the overreaching principle," said Ahsan.

He added that the "concept of IP is well-contained in the basic philosophy of Islam," and that Islamic jurists have agreed that IP conforms to maal - a type of property...



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