Dubai Customs holds IPR awareness workshop with participants from GCC

Dubai – 01 September 2015: Dubai Customs has held an Intellectual Property Rights workshop with the participation of eminent Customs delegations from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Abu Dhabi Customs, Dubai Health Authority and a host of personnel from Dubai Customs were also present. 

The attending delegates praised Dubai Customs efforts in raising IPR awareness and the role it plays in educating and involving specialists of stakeholder entities, whether on the state government level or at the GCC level. Such efforts are directed towards tightening the grip on counterfeiters, better serving manufacturers, investors and traders rights and ultimately protecting consumers from the consequences and threats posed by illicit trade in fake goods. 

Yousuf Ozair, Director of Intellectual Property Rights Department at Dubai Customs stated on this occasion, “Dubai Customs places IP Rights on the top of its priorities, and is always keen on forging better ties and reinforcing cooperation with local and GCC customs authorities and administrations in order  to achieve optimal results in combating the trading of infringed items.

“We always seek to present our officers with the latest training courses on the means and methods of combating counterfeit trading. This is done  in tandem with our partners in the private sector and the trademark owners, who are granted such regular platform to present their products and the latest techniques for detecting infringed items that surely affect their market shares.” 

Ozair also pointed out that the consolidated efforts of the Unified IPR Task Force(established in 2006) in collaboration with all government entities within the UAE had proved very efficient in deterring attempts of illegal import of counterfeit products via customs ports. “In 2014, over 300 seizures of IPR-infringing items were recorded, covering a wide range of products worth more than AED 36 Million, and in the Q1 of 2015, more than AED 4 million worth of counterfeit goods were seized in 40 cases,” he said.

Yousef Al Hashemi, Jebel Ali Customs Centers Management Director, said, “Dubai Customs has been doing well in terms of trade facilitation and protection of society against all potential risks and threats, by developing and utilizing the latest smart information technology in inspection and examination operations. Such adaptation represents our efficient response to the growing Dubai foreign trade, helping us to achieve the optimal balance between trade facilitation and compliance.” 

The attending trademark owners,  Hello Kitty, Mars, Wipro, Burberry, Hermès, Barcelona, Botiga and Emerson have also presented the audience with the tools and techniques on identifying copied products from genuine ones. 

Dubai Customs directs major effort to the advocacy and awareness campaigns on IPR, seeking to educate the public about the serious dangers of consuming counterfeit products on their health and safety. As many as 48 such awareness events were organized in 2014, benefiting a total of 11,800 people.