Dubai Music Week 24 - 29 Sep 2013

MIDEM (Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale) is holding the first music industry trade show for the Middle East and North Africa in Dubai between the 24 and 29 Sept 2013, The event includes conferences, concerts and an exhibition.  According to the event website, it is taking place in Dubai because of the diversity of its population and its importance as a business hub and centre of tourism.

The event has been reported by the BBC which asks in its clip "US music stars attend Dubai music industry conference" 28 Sept 2013 whether new Arabic language bands can really make money with "file-sharing and piracy prevalent in the region."  Apparently the answer is yes and artists and their managers are developing business models that take advantage of those technologies.

A lesson for the rest of the world perhaps.

Saudi Arabia Trade Mark Law

In my Overview of Saudi IP law of 22 May 2011 I noted that Saudi Arabia does not have an intellectual property as such and that responsibility for protecting brands, technology and works of art and literature is shared by the Ministry of Commerce and Indutry, The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Culture respectively.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is in Riyadh. There is a Trade Marks section which can be contacted at +(966 1) 206 9449.  The Ministry has now translated into English some of the relevant legislation. WIPO has published statistics for patent, designs and trade mark grants and applications up to 2011.