/ United Arab Emirates Opens New Opportunities for Beverage Brands

A Key Moment for Protecting Chilean Brands in the Middle East

Laura Hernández Bethermyt
Senior Associate
Alessandri

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) market continues to establish itself as one of the main gateways to the Arab world for the international beverage industry. In this context, a recent change in the country’s trademark practice opens up a significant opportunity for Chilean companies in the wine and alcoholic beverage sectors seeking to expand or strengthen their presence in the region.

For the first time, trademark applications for alcoholic beverages under Class 33 of the Nice Classification are fully available in the United Arab Emirates. This measure represents a significant change for trademark owners of wines, sparkling wines, spirits, liqueurs, and other alcoholic beverages, who historically faced restrictions in obtaining specific protection for these products.

The End of a Long-Standing Limitation

For years, trademarks related to alcoholic beverages had to resort to indirect strategies to attempt to protect their assets in the United Arab Emirates. These solutions, while useful, did not provide protection fully aligned with the commercial reality of alcoholic products or with the standards in place in most international jurisdictions.

The opening of Class 33 now allows for the express registration of trademarks for:

• Wines
• Sparkling wines.
• Whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and other spirits.
• Liqueurs
• Prepared cocktails.
• Other alcoholic beverages falling within this class.

This is a step forward that brings the UAE’s trademark system closer to international best practices and provides greater legal certainty to companies in the sector.

References to beer are also accepted in Class 32

Another particularly relevant aspect is that specific references to beer—which previously could have been subject to objections or rejections by the local office—are now accepted under their correct classification in Class 32.

This allows applications to more accurately reflect the products actually marketed, avoiding artificial or limited formulations that in the past could have affected the scope of trademark protection.

A regional trend that reinforces the appeal of the Persian Gulf

The opening of Class 33 in the United Arab Emirates is not an isolated event. In recent months, several countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have pushed for reforms aimed at modernizing their intellectual property systems and aligning them with international standards.

Qatar has also begun accepting registrations in Class 33, joining jurisdictions such as Oman and Bahrain, which already allowed for this possibility. As a result, several of the region’s most significant economies now offer specific protection mechanisms for alcoholic beverage trademarks.

For Chilean companies, this scenario facilitates the development of more coherent and effective regional trademark protection strategies, especially given the growing interest in Latin American wines and premium products in Middle Eastern markets.

An Opportunity for Chilean Wineries and Producers

Chile has a renowned international reputation in the wine industry and a growing export presence in high-value markets. The ability to directly register trademarks for alcoholic beverages in the United Arab Emirates allows companies to:

• Strengthen the protection of their flagship trademarks.
• Reduce risks associated with third parties attempting to register similar marks.
• Support future distribution and marketing strategies.
• Prepare for the launch of new product lines into the market.
• Build stronger regional intellectual property portfolios.

In dynamic and competitive markets, early trademark protection is often a key element in supporting internationalization and commercial expansion.

Is it time to review your trademark strategy?

The implementation of these changes will lead to a significant increase in trademark applications related to alcoholic beverages in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries.

Therefore, this may be a particularly opportune time to review your portfolio, identify any protection gaps, and evaluate new applications in the relevant classes. Likewise, implementing global trademark monitoring services can help you promptly detect third-party applications that could affect your existing rights.

Our team regularly advises wine companies, alcoholic beverage producers, and trademark owners on the international protection and management of their intellectual property assets.

If your company currently exports to the United Arab Emirates, is considering entering that market, or wishes to explore opportunities in other Gulf countries, we would be delighted to assist you in reviewing your trademark strategy and developing a protection plan aligned with your business objectives.

The recent opening of Class 33 presents an excellent opportunity to secure adequate trademark protection before the market becomes more competitive.

Contact us to review the status of your trademark portfolio and design a protection strategy tailored to your international expansion plans.