Alcohol And Trademarks Practice In UAE

Earlier in September 2020, the UAE Cabinet issued decree number 15 of 2020, "The Decree", and introduced several progressive amendments to Federal Law No 3 of 1987 of the Penal Code "The Amendment", which will have a significant impact on the personal and family lives of expats and UAE residents.

One of the biggest changes under the reforms is that the consumption of alcohol is no longer a criminal offence similar to what the original text would read. Although licensed venues were permitted to serve alcohol to non-Muslim customers in the past, by law, the individual was required to hold a license to consume alcohol. However, in practice, there was no enforcement of this rule and individuals were only prosecuted or penalized for not holding a license where another offence was committed.