Protecting Middle Eastern Heritage Through IP: From Tradition to Trademark

By Amer Alnasser

Culture and Tradition
The Middle East is home to centuries-old crafts, fragrances, textiles, and culinary traditions. From Aleppo’s famous soap and Egypt’s cotton to Palestinian embroidery and Arabian perfumes, these traditions tell stories of trade, creativity, and identity. Today, globalization and mass production threaten to blur their origins, making IP protection crucial. 

Empowering Tradition or Restricting Tradition?
When people hear about IP or any form of regulation, they often perceive it as something that restricts creativity or limits cultural exchange. But in the Middle East, culture has always been open, welcoming others to experience its art, crafts, and traditions. Visitors wearing traditional attire, enjoying local fragrances, or celebrating regional music are seen as signs of appreciation, not appropriation. 
The goal of IP in this context is not to regulate or confine that openness, but to empower local artisans, preserve authenticity, and ensure that when Middle Eastern heritage inspires the world, the communities behind it share in the recognition and benefits. In this way, IP becomes a bridge between tradition and global appreciation, not a barrier.

The Challenge – Preserving Authenticity in a Global Market
Middle Eastern designs and products inspire creators around the world, but many traditional crafts risk being copied or commercialized without recognition. For instance, patterns from Palestinian tatreez (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), Syrian glass art, or Omani silverwork are often reproduced abroad without credit or benefit to their original makers. The goal isn’t to stop others from appreciating these arts, it’s to ensure that appreciation comes with fair value.

How IP Can Protect Heritage
IP rights offer several tools to safeguard cultural identity and promote economic growth:
Geographical Indications (GIs): Origin matters. Just as Champagne represents a place and a tradition, Middle Eastern products can use GIs to anchor their identity. Today, Aleppo soap is protected under Syrian GI law and Argan oil carries Moroccan PGI (2010) status. Extending that protection internationally isn’t automatic, it depends on local legal frameworks and agreements, but with better coordination and education, communities can first secure domestic GIs, and then pursue cross-border recognition where the law allows.

Can IP protect other Middle Eastern products that do not qualify for GI protection?
Absolutely. There are several other forms of intellectual property that can help local communities and businesses expand internationally while safeguarding their heritage. These mechanisms ensure authenticity, build consumer trust, and allow traditional products to reach global markets under fair and recognized protection.

Collective Trademarks: Allow groups of artisans to promote their goods under one recognized mark. This can apply to a variety of industries such as mosaic products or local textile production. 

Traditional Knowledge Databases: A Traditional Knowledge Database or registry is a structured, often digital repository in which communities, governments, or institutions document TK (traditional knowledge). The documentation is intended to serve multiple roles:
To prevent the granting of patents on TK that is already in use (i.e. presenting prior art).
To preserve and safeguard cultural heritage and knowledge that might otherwise be lost or remain undocumented
To help patent examiners everywhere access documented TK (in languages and classifications they understand), thereby reducing wrongful patenting.

India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is perhaps the most well-known example of a functioning TK database. 

The Way Forward

The Middle East’s cultural heritage represents a significant source of identity and economic potential. Strengthening IP systems to protect traditional crafts does not restrict cultural exchange, it ensures that local communities receive fair recognition and benefit when their traditions reach global audiences. With greater regional collaboration, awareness, and international recognition, Middle Eastern heritage can continue to flourish, in a way that is authentically preserved and sustainably shared.

Need help with getting your IP in order?

Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) works with corporations of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 corporations. 
Find us at  www.agip.com