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Ahmad Saleh, partner and head of innovation, patents and industrial property at Al Tamimi & Company, outlined the conditions under which military and defence inventions can receive patent protection in the UAE. Such inventions must satisfy standard patentability requirements while also securing advance approval from the Ministry of Defence for registration, publication and any foreign filings. The process begins with submission to the Ministry of Economy’s patent office, which refers defence-related applications for security review before proceeding.
Saleh explained that the Ministry of Defence may approve the patent if national security is not at risk or alternatively require the invention to remain confidential for a specified period. In the latter case the applicant holds the right to fair compensation from the authorities for forgoing patent rights. This mechanism applies to any UAE resident owning such an invention, ensuring filings occur domestically first before any international steps.
Applicants uncertain about an invention’s sensitivity are advised to flag potential military links in their initial UAE submission. The patent office relies on the International Patent Classification under the Strasbourg Agreement to assess and route applications accordingly. Saleh noted that foreign patent filings remain prohibited without explicit Ministry of Defence clearance, reinforcing the security-first approach.
One practical option involves dividing an invention into distinct applications separating military aspects from purely civilian uses. This division requires careful technical and legal review to remain valid, according to Saleh. The strategy can enable protection for non-sensitive innovations while complying with confidentiality rules where necessary.
Global patent activity in the aerospace, defence and security sector totalled 11,351 applications in the third quarter of 2024, Army Technology data shows. Within the UAE, overall patent filings have grown at an annual rate of 18 percent with domestic applications rising through government support for research and development, an AIPPI assessment found. These trends coincide with the UAE defence and aircraft MRO market reaching an estimated $10.04 billion valuation in 2025 and advancing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.06 percent, according to Nexdigm figures.
The broader aerospace and defence sector generated $4.7 billion in revenues during 2024 while civil aviation contributed $47.4 billion to the economy and sustained approximately 800,000 jobs in 2023, industry reports indicate. Saleh’s guidance, issued this week, arrives as the UAE continues modernising its capabilities and encouraging local innovation through stronger intellectual property safeguards. Domestic patent filings have doubled roughly every four years under initiatives that include increased R&D funding, WIPO statistics confirm.
