Patents registered in the UAE rose by 14 per cent from 14,000 in 2010 to 16,000 in 2011, according to Khalfan Al Suwaidi, Director of the Department of Intellectual Property in the Ministry of Economy.

Emaratis and residents of the UAE accounted for 10 per cent of the patents, the rest being foreigners.

This came in the programme ‘Rouh Al Qanoun’ of  lawyer Isa bin Haider on Noor Dubai radio station. The last episode of the programme discussed patents and how to register and protect them.

A new draft law for registration and protection of patents is being prepared and is expected to see the light of the day during the current year, Al Suwaidi said.

He added the new law will focus on bridging gaps in the current law.

Patent registration can take between three to four years, and the inventor can benefit from a registered patent for about 20 years, Al Suwaidi said.

Patent registration fees will not exceed Dh 7500 and an  inventor who wants to register in the UAE should register his product in five among the more than 100 countries that have patent protection laws.

The UAE’s Law No. 17 of 2002 deals with protection of patents. Federal courts alone can consider patent disputes. Penalties for patent violation can range from Dh5, 000 to Dh100,000 and imprisonment.

He advised people to register their inventions before talking about with others and not to rush to sell their invention before registration. A registered patent can fetch a higher price. An Emirati inventor from Sharjah sold his invention to a Japanese company before registration for a small sum of money, he said.

Meanwhile, Emirati Mousa Issa Al Amiri, owner of 15 patents registered at the Ministry of Economy, who made a telephone call to the radio programme, called on the government to clarify procedures for registering and protecting patents.