Sho Cho Copycat Case Highlights Gulf Trademark Challenge - Middle East Real Time - WSJ:
"The owners of a popular Dubai-based restaurant called Sho Cho got a call recently from someone who’d spotted a new café with the same name at a beachside dining and shopping area on the other side of town: Were they opening a new location?
They weren’t, and the ensuing dispute has added to a growing list of trademark conflicts in a region where lawyers say the enforcement of intellectual property rights is lacking. Last year, Facebook threatened to sue after a Dubai-based salon called “Facelook” opened, complete with a white-on-blue sign and the Facebook font. In 2012, an outlet mimicking the European clothing chain Primark opened in Dubai, touching off a dispute.
Intellectual property is becoming increasingly important as the United Arab Emirates and other energy-rich Gulf countries spend billions of dollars on infrastructure development, private-sector growth and new foreign investment. The protection of brands and innovations is critical especially for attracting foreign capital, lawyers say, because investors need the assurance that their products can’t be stolen or duplicated by local competitors."
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