According to the UAE Federal Law No. 7 of 2002, authors of the works and the holders of the neighboring rights, shall enjoy the protection of this law in case that an aggression against their rights occurs in the State, namely in the following works: 

• Books, pamphlets, essays and other written works,
• Computer programs and applications, databases and works analogous to them as defined by a Minister’s decision. 
• Lectures, addresses, sermons and other works of similar nature.
• Dramatic, dramatic-musical works and dumb shows.
• Music compositions with or without words.
• Sound and audiovisual works.
• Architecture works, engineering plans and layouts.
• Works of drawing, painting, sculpture, lithography (fabric, metals, stones, wood) and engrave or any similar works in the scope of fine arts.
• Photographic works and works analogous to photography.
• Works of applied and plastic art.
• Illustrations, geographical maps, sketches, three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography and architecture designs etc.
• Derived works without prejudice to the protection stipulated for the works been derived from. The protection includes the title of the work if innovated and the innovated theme written for a broadcasting programme.

Terms of Copyright Protection

1. The general term of Copyright Protection is the duration of the life of the author plus 50 years thereafter. 
2. For authors of collective works, duration of protection is 50 years from the date the work was published for the first time, if the author is a corporate entity. 
3. If a work is published anonymously or under a pseudonym, then the period of protection would be 50 years from the date the work was published for the first time.
4. Works of applied art however have only 25 years protection.
5. Works of performing artists and producers of phonograms have protection for 50 years.

Broadcasting authorities enjoy 20 years of protection.