Dubai Customs organize workshops on Intellectual Property Rights

In an initiative adding to their leading steps in many fields along with their thrive to disseminate and reinforce the concept of Intellectual Property Rights, the Intellectual Property Rights Section at Dubai Customs will organize between the 22nd and the 26th of April a series of workshops designed to help Customs inspectors to face and solve the obstacles encountered in their work.The workshops will be attended by representatives from the World International Property Organization (WIPO), Customs administrations from GCC countries and representatives from governmental administrations handling Property Rights. The workshops organization coincides with the World International Property Day occurring on the 26th of April with the theme "Encouraging Creativity".

These workshops, organized for the second consecutive year, were agreed upon after a series of coordination meetings held between the Dubai Customs' Intellectual Property Rights Section and the World International Property Organization which aim at providing the best means to spread the Intellectual Property Rights concept and its applications that are enforced by international laws and dedicated to fight piracy and preserve producers' rights in accordance with the Common Customs Law of the GCC States.

The workshops will focus on enforcing Intellectual and industrial Property Rights Laws as well as the implementation of international agreements in addition to the laws and legislations preserving the rights of consumers and investors.

Mr. Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Dubai Customs Director General , said that "this year we are raising the awareness on the concept of Intellectual Property Rights to include GCC countries which were invited in cooperation with the Federal Customs Authority to attend the workshops in order to unify the efforts, exchange the information and face the infringements on Intellectual Property Rights as well as to train Customs administrations on fighting piracy in addition to the presentation of the latest techniques in identifying fake products".

"These workshops will consolidate our efforts in helping the World International Property Organization to establish a worldwide protection for Intellectual Property Rights ,create a healthy investment environment by encouraging creativity and innovation as well as empowering local researchers , scientists and writers through designed programs and in addition , these workshops also come as a prelude to the launch of our previously mentioned comprehensive media campaign on Intellectual Property Rights in Dubai in coordination with the WIPO and World Customs Organization next month in order to raise the awareness on the concept of Intellectual Property Rights and consolidate it to reach our desired aim," he added.

Mr. Butti explained that "International Companies, trade mark specialists along with their legal offices and counselors in the UAE will be invited to give presentations to Dubai Customs inspectors on the difference between genuine and fake products as well as establishing means for future cooperation".

Yousuf Ozair Moubarak, the senior manager of the intervention department at Dubai Customs said that "the presentations will focus on identifying fake and genuine products as well as the smuggling routes and there will be several lectures for different companies".

"The Intellectual Property Rights Section at Dubai Customs was established in April 2005 in coordination with the ministries of Economy, Finance, Industry and health in addition to Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other governmental bodies in order to have a quantum leap in the fight against piracy and preserving consumers and investors' rights," he added.

The Intellectual Property Rights Section at Dubai efforts are dedicated to establish a healthy investment environment in Dubai through fighting counterfeit products and preventing the smuggling operations as well as reinforcing the anti-smuggling measures ,presenting technical and consultative assistance for Customs administrations on Intellectual Property Rights, enquire on registered trade marks at the ministry of Economy and referring confiscated goods to specialized laboratories to get technical opinion and reports on trade marks infringements.

The Intellectual Property Rights Section at Dubai Customs efforts focuses on encouraging international investors to come and establish businesses in Dubai. The Section aims also at encouraging new investors to create new designs for the products instead of imitating the famous marks.

Dubai Customs confiscated in the first quarter of this year 23,643 pieces of fake products and issued 81 confiscation reports. The amount of the confiscated goods exceeded 7 million Dirhams. The month of February witnessed the highest number of confiscations amounting to 3,32 Million Dirhams and most of the confiscated goods were DVD, Car Spare parts, mobile phones and Tobacco products.