DUBAI: Dubai has launched a new court, which will rule on commercial space-related disputes, it was announced on Monday.
The Courts of Space initiative is part of a partnership between the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and the Dubai Future Foundation.
The initiative will see an international working group of public and private-sector experts tasked with exploring space-related legal issues related to space-related disputes and brainstorming possible outcomes.
A Space Dispute Guide, encompassing a set of guidelines to support such space-related disputes, will also be created, and training will be provided to judges so they can become experts in such disputes.
Zaki Azmi, chief justice of the DIFC Courts, said in a press statement: “The Courts of Space is a global initiative that will operate in parallel, helping to build a new judicial support network to serve the stringent commercial demands of international space exploration in the 21st century. As space commerce becomes ever more global and countries ever more connected, diverse and nimble, economies will need to enable growth. Complex commercial agreements will also require an equally innovative judicial system to keep pace, offering assurance and certainty to support and protect businesses.”
The UAE is becoming a growing player in the space exploration sector, with such moves as the launch of the UAE Hope probe in July last year and aims to reach Mars in February this year.
Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts is an English-language common law judicial system forming a key part of the legal system of the UAE.
