25 September 2026
There has been an important change for wine, spirits and alcoholic beverage brands seeking trade mark protection in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism is now accepting trade mark applications in Class 33, opening a route to direct protection that was previously unavailable.
For international beverage businesses with existing or planned interests in the UAE, this is a good reason to review their trade mark portfolios.
What has changed?
Class 33 of the Nice Classification covers alcoholic beverages other than beer, including products such as:
- wine
- whisky
- gin
- vodka
- rum
- liqueurs
- sake
- cider
- other spirits and alcoholic beverages
Until now, Class 33 was not available for national trade mark registration in the UAE.
That meant wine and spirits businesses could not obtain UAE registration directly covering those products.
That has now changed.
Brand owners can now file UAE trade mark applications specifically covering Class 33 goods.
What about beer?
Beer sits in Class 32, rather than Class 33.
The change is therefore particularly significant for wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverage brands that previously could not obtain protection in the class directly covering their products.
Why does this matter for existing brand owners?
For established international brands, the question is not simply whether the brand already has some form of trade mark protection in the UAE. It is whether that protection actually covers the products being sold.
A wine or spirits business may already have UAE registrations covering related goods, retail services, hospitality services or other aspects of its business.
Those registrations may still be valuable, but they are not necessarily a substitute for direct protection of the alcoholic beverage itself.
The opening of Class 33 provides an opportunity to close that gap.
Businesses may want to review:
- key wine and spirits brands already sold or planned for sale in the UAE
- international Class 33 portfolios that do not currently have equivalent UAE protection
- house brands and flagship product names
- new product launches intended for the UAE
- existing UAE registrations in related classes that were filed because Class 33 protection was previously unavailable
A trade mark registration is not a licence to sell alcohol
There is an important distinction.
Obtaining a Class 33 trade mark registration protects the brand. It does not itself give the owner permission to import, distribute, advertise or sell alcoholic beverages in the UAE.
Those activities remain subject to separate regulatory and licensing requirements, which may differ between Emirates.
Trade mark protection and regulatory market access therefore need to be considered separately.
What should businesses do now?
If your business owns wine, spirits, liqueur or other Class 33 brands and the UAE is an existing or potential market, now is a sensible time to review your protection.
Businesses with established international Class 33 portfolios should also check whether the UAE represents a gap in their current filing strategy.
For brands that have previously been unable to obtain direct UAE protection for their alcoholic beverage products, this change creates a new opportunity to strengthen their position.
IP Solved can assist with UAE trade mark strategy, preliminary searches, Class 33 applications and broader international portfolio reviews.
If you would like to review your current protection in the UAE or consider whether a new Class 33 filing is appropriate, contact the IP Solved team.
