Page 50 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - APRIL 2025 (Part 2)

Press Release

Ministry of Economy licenses Emirati Musicians' Association to

safeguard the rights of creators and musicians enhancing competitiveness
of UAE’s creative economy

Ministry to collaborate with EMA to develop a digital platform for
collecting and recording rights, managing revenues, and raising
awareness among artists

Abu Dhabi, 11 April 2025 - The Ministry of Economy announced the granting of the Collective
Music Management license to the Emirati Musicians’ Association (EMA), as part of its efforts to
organize the collection and distribution of rights of music creators and ensure that media channels
and content streaming platforms uphold copyrights held by creators in the UAE’s music industry.
The initiative contributes to enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE’s creative economy and
supports the establishment of a sustainable creative environment in line with global best practices,
fostering the growth of talent and innovators. The Ministry explained that the issuance of the
license is in alignment with the Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 on copyright and neighboring
rights.

The ceremony was organized by the Ministry in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the International
Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the International Confederation of Societies of
Authors and Composers (CISAC). It was attended by H.E. Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh,
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, who delivered the keynote address, along with H.E.
Mubarak Al Nakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, and H.E. Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan
Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for the Intellectual Property (IP) Sector at the Ministry of
Economy. The event was also attended by representatives of various music sector entities,
composers, artists, producers, various international organizations specializing in copyright
protection, in addition to experts and stakeholders from the music industry and the UAE’s IP
protection landscape.

H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, emphasized that the UAE has successfully
created an advanced legislative environment aligned with global best practices to strengthen IP
protection. This enhances the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors, which are key
drivers of the national economy. Over the past years, the UAE has successfully developed an
integrated ecosystem for protecting authors’ rights by updating legislation and launching impactful
initiatives that keep pace with digital transformation and modern innovations, as reflected in the

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