The “Economy” gives the first license to practice the activity of protecting the rights of creators and musicians

Yesterday, the Ministry of Economy granted a group of music management license to the Emirates Music Rights Association, which is the first of its kind in the country, with the aim of exercising the activity of organizing the achievement and distribution of the rights of creators and musicians, and ensuring the commitment of channels and content platforms to take into account rights in the music sector within the state, noting that this new national achievement is added to the government’s efforts to enhance the efforts to support intellectual property and support the creativity and innovation environment in the Emirates.

The Undersecretary, Abdullah Al Saleh, said in a speech on behalf of the Minister of Economy, Abdullah bin Touq Al -Marri, during a media briefing, that “this license represents the first articulated station in the path of promoting the growth of the creative economy in the UAE, as it is one of the pivotal sectors in (Emirates Vision 2031),” noting that the UAE aspires to be a regional and global pioneering center in culture, attract talents and creative content through the development of An attractive legislative and organizational environment for creators.

He added that the UAE succeeded in building a sophisticated legislative environment that keeps pace with international best practices to promote the protection of intellectual property rights, in order to support the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sector as one of the main engines of the national economy, as the state has worked to develop competitive legislation concerned in this regard, including the law of property rights and neighboring rights and building distinguished partnerships with institutions and bodies concerned with intellectual property at local, regional and international levels.

Al -Saleh stressed that the UAE is currently in the ranks of countries in the world in the field of intellectual property and innovation, pointing out that it came in the first place in the Arab world in the Global Innovation Index for the year 2024, and the Ministry of Economy also launched a new system that includes various areas and applications of intellectual property with the aim of enhancing innovation and creativity in the country, and providing an appropriate environment for inventors and creators to develop their pioneering ideas and convert them into business opportunities and projects Creative, enabling creative national competencies to use intellectual property applications.

He affirmed that music is a basic tributary of the creative economy, noting that the new license is considered a new brick in a strong institutional edifice that protects rights and enhances justice and provides new opportunities for artists, authors and producers within the country, which contributes to the development of the creative industries sector, providing it with technical talents and investing in the creative economy.

Al -Saleh considered that the collective management license is not only a legal and technical necessity to ensure a fair achievement, but rather a management of talent and creativity industry, as the Emirates Music Rights Association shall collect its rights from the uses of its works in public places, broadcasts, platforms, etc. in accordance with fair and transparent mechanisms, as this opens the field to integrate with international organizations and exchange information and returns in a way that enhances the rights of the Emirati creativity industry and the Emirati artist globally, In addition to finding a strong and competitive system that represents an essential part of attracting investments in the field of cultural industries, and enabling the public and private partnerships.

He explained that the role of the Ministry of Economy will not be limited to granting the license, but the Ministry will continue to provide technical and legislative support, and to enhance cooperation with all parties according to international best practices.

Al Saleh indicated the ministry aimed at contributing cultural and creative industries by 5% to the state’s GDP after the contribution reached 3.5% in 2022, equivalent to more than 54 billion dirhams, which reflects the increasing confidence in the country’s creative business environment.

For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Mubarak Al -Nakhi, said that issuing the first license in the country to practice the activity of collective management of music rights in the country is an achievement that embodies the clear UAE approach to supporting creativity, preserving the rights of the talented and building an integrated system that stimulates innovation, and enhances the UAE’s position as a global center for the creative economy.

He added that the collective administration is not just a legal mechanism, but rather a guarantee for the sustainability of art and an incentive for creators to provide more and achieve a balance between the rights of authors and the needs of consumer, as it is a step that highlights the UAE’s leadership in protecting intellectual property, especially in the era of technology control over the cultural scene in general.

Al -Nakhi pointed out that this license represents a strategic shift in the culture sector, and paves the way for the start of a new stage of prosperity for Emirati art, noting that the Ministry of Culture will launch a series of supportive initiatives, foremost of which is the national program for granting culture and creativity that aims to enable national competencies and consolidate its presence in the cultural scene.

On the sidelines of the issuance of the license, the Ministry of Economy signed a series of agreements with many parties, most notably “Dubai Media”, in order to support cultural and creative industries and protect intellectual property rights for creators in the Emirates.

Abdullah Al Saleh:

. The license is the first articulated station in the path of promoting the growth of the creative economy in the country, as it is one of the pivotal sectors in the “Emirates Vision 2031”.