From Manchester to Manama

Did you know that I keep a blog called NIPC Gulf on intellectual property in the Gulf Co-operation Council ("GCC") states? In the last year year I have posted articles on GCC Patents, the intellectual property laws of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, data protection in the Dubai International and Qatar Financial Centres, the new domain name dispute resolution policy for the United Arab Emirates ("UAE") and, of course, lots of news on the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) and QFC (Qatar Financial Centre) courts.


Why do I focus on that region? Because the Gulf is one of the fastest growing regions of the world providing a vast and rapidly expanding market for businesses in North West England. As I said in my Inventors Club blog a few days ago, I believe the recovery will start in 2012 because the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey and South Africa) and other emerging economies are growing so rapidly internally that they should lift the world from recession. The Gulf quite literally fuels that growth and, of course, the GCC states are also important emerging economises in their own right. Most of them are diversifying from hydrocarbon to knowledge based economies.


A knowledge based economy requires intellectual property laws that those who wish to do business with the region can understand and rely on. That's where I come in. Dubai and Qatar have established English speaking courts presided over by eminent judges from Commonwealth jurisdictions that apply common law rules in the Dubai International and Qatar Financial Centres (see "The DIFC Court" 7 Jan 2011 and "Qatar Financial Centre" 3 April 2011). Members of the English bar provide much of the advocacy for those courts. We also advise on local law and draft contracts and other legal instruments. The ruler of Dubai has recently extended the DIFC court's jurisdiction to cover any business dispute from any part of the world (See "DIFC Courts spread their Wings" 6 Dec 2011). 


Should anyone wish to discuss this matter further he or she should not hesitate to contact me on +44 161 850 0080 or complete my on-line contact form.

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