Rasha Al Ardah

Rasha Al Ardah is a Partner and an intellectual property lawyer with extensive experience in the UAE and the broader Middle East region. Her primary practice area is Intellectual Property Law.

She advises both local and international clients across a wide range of sectors, including FMCG, media, automotive manufacturing, real estate, electronics, technology, finance and hospitality.

She leads the IP Transactions practice within the IP department, where she handles due diligence in major corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and joint ventures. She has also conducted numerous IP audits for clients, helping them identify their most valuable assets and develop strategies for protecting and maximising their value, and devises tailored IP strategies. She assists clients in drafting and reviewing franchise, licensing and other IP-related commercial agreements.

She advises clients on trademark protection and has helped build and develop their brands by managing trademark portfolios and advising on appropriate usage and enforcement of rights. With her extensive regional experience in the IP field — particularly in handling IP disputes — she is well equipped to identify gaps in protection and provide advice on best practices for creating enforceable, watertight agreements that ensure maximum IP protection.

As an experienced copyright lawyer, she has advised numerous clients in the sports and media sectors on various aspects of copyright law, including disputes and anti-piracy efforts, and assists clients in developing targeted campaigns to combat piracy. Recently, she has developed an interest in AI-related copyright issues and has been advising clients on this evolving area of law.

In terms of enforcement, she has extensive experience managing complex IP litigation cases, including cancellation and infringement matters before courts throughout the region. She has helped clients formulate strategies for taking action against serious infringers and major competitors, and is experienced in anti-counterfeiting, having assisted clients with their anti-counterfeiting efforts in the UAE and in developing regional anti-counterfeiting strategies across the Middle East, including in challenging jurisdictions like Iraq.

Her recent experience includes advising and assisting LaLiga in their partnership with the Ministry of Economy in establishing its flagship Antipiracy Lab in the UAE; drafting the IP legislation of a major financial free zone in the UAE; managing trademark portfolios for a number of global and regional conglomerates; drafting and negotiating a property branded agreement on behalf of a luxury Swiss watch brand; and handling a successful court action on behalf of a major UAE real estate developer for the cancellation of 11 trademarks in the UAE for a global entertainment company on the grounds of non-use.

She has also managed and handled a court action in the UAE for the invalidation of a trademark assignment after 12 years of its recordal with the Trademarks Office, and conducted an IP audit for a major UAE FMCG holding company and advised on the restructure of IP ownership within the group companies.

She is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), where she currently sits on the Brand and Innovations Committee and previously served on the Global Middle East Advisory Council. She is also a member of AIPPI UAE and a regular speaker at major events locally and internationally.

She has been recognised by the Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars as a Trademark Star for 2024, previously ranked as a rising star, recognised as a leading IP lawyer in the UAE in the WTR1000 for a number of years, and recognised as a key lawyer by Legal500.

She holds an Executive Education Programme certificate from the University of Pennsylvania (2007), an LLM in Intellectual Property from the University of Jordan (2005) and a B.A. in Law from the University of Jordan (2002). She was admitted to the Jordan Lawyers Bar Association in 2004 and speaks Arabic and English.