Dubai – Masaader News
Dubai Customs doesn’t spare any effort to further protect the brand owners’ rights and prevent counterfeiting. The memorandum of understanding that it signed with the Brand Owners’ Protection Group GCC & Yemen (BPG) last April supported its efforts in this regard, and helped promote bilateral co-operation and the exchange of relevant information in order to counter piracy.
Seized counterfeited goods can be recycled to be used for other purposes following environmentally friendly procedures and measures as part of Dubai Customs green initiative.
These protective measures and procedures help protect original products and belittle any chances of competition from counterfeited products. Dubai Customs has made a total of 130 intellectual property seizures in the first half of 2018 that had a value of AED 35.5 million. The seizures varied to include electronics, watches, glasses, car spare parts, textiles, utensils, bags and shoes.
Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department said:” We support innovation and authenticity in the UAE following the wise directives of our leadership. For this we enhance our partnerships with different stakeholders to consolidate efforts in protecting intellectual property rights. We work together with local and federal government departments and trademark owners in the private sector to prevent counterfeiting and piracy”.
He added:” Dubai Customs has equipped its customs centers with the latest inspection devices and developed the competencies and skills of its officers to effectively prevent any smuggling or counterfeiting attempts. The IPR Department organized 26 different activities and initiatives in the first half of 2018 which saw the involvement of 40,373 participants”.
Ozair pointed out that the IP Department registers and intellectual assets that were developed and invented internally. A total of 27 applications to register intellectual assets have been submitted to the Ministry of Economy. These assets include the Virtual Corridor, Al Kashif Vehicle, Customs Clearance Vehicle, Smart Inspection Desk, Smart Submarine, Mobile Lab, and Smart Seizure System.
On his part, Mohammed bin Nasser, Manager of IP Dispute Section said: “We regularly meet with the representatives of brand owners to coordinate our efforts in order to ensure highest levels of efficiency in preventing counterfeited goods from entering the UAE. We also coordinate with other relevant local, regional and international departments to help protect our society from the hazards of counterfeiting”.