The UAE trade mark office recently started scheduling hearings for pending oppositions, some of which were filed several years back and which have not progressed. The recent development is aimed at progressing long-standing pending oppositions by the end of April 2015. Hearings are now scheduled with as little as one week prior notice and without any possibility of rescheduling or for submitting supplementary evidence beyond the hearing date. In practice, the trade mark office only schedules a single hearing in an opposition at which all supporting evidence not previously filed must be submitted for consideration. Decisions in the oppositions are generally issued shortly after the hearing and are appealable to the Trade Mark Committee within 15 days of the notification date (UAE trade mark office, 22 December 2014)
