The BSA Intellectual Property practice is a full-service, leading IP team in the UAE and wider Middle East region. The practice is differentiated from others in the region by its commitment to providing a highly personable and client focused service that has earnt the trust of many loyal clients. The IP team benefits from a culturally and gender diverse team with legal educations and experience coming from both civil and common law jurisdictions, in addition to a wealth of cross-jurisdictional experience. The benefits of such also permeate in the language capabilities of the team, as the majority draft straight into Arabic which ensures a high degree of technical accuracy that is often lost in translation.

BSA has rights of audience in every country where we have an office. This separates BSA from the leading law firms in the region who must employ local advocates to work on their behalf. BSA are therefore better placed to have control over their matters and can keep costs to a minimum for clients.

Under dynamic partner guidance, the team is particularly active in relation to the prosecution and enforcement of intellectual property rights, which has included an array of complex copyright infringement cases over the course of the past year. The team has seen a marked growth in the number of counterfeit investigations it is managing in not only the Middle East but globally, particularly online, and has developed a successful investigation arm for this as a result. The team delivered many large prosecution projects throughout 2020, especially for its key clients such as MBC, that consistently provide both contentious and non-contentious matters for the practice. In preparation for the UAE’s entry to the Madrid system, the practice focused energy into developing the patent practice of the firm and have had exciting progress with important clients such as Knobbe Martens, who introduce many high-profile companies to the firm.

The firm represents a suite of clients across media, professional services firms, automotive and industrial entities, pharmaceuticals and many more. Our growing client base, which now includes sectors such as fashion and consumer goods, are testament to our overall team strengths.