Ajman: A series of initiatives to combat intellectual property crimes were commended by police officers at the Security Sustainability Conference, which was held in Ajman on Wednesday.
The conference was attended by Shaikh Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, as well as a number of senior officials from the Ajman and Dubai Police and Ministry of Health, including Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Al Nuaimi, Ajman Police Commander-in-Chief; Lt-Colonel Abdul Rahman Al Maaini from Dubai Police; and Dr Ameen Hussain Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Public Policy and Licensing of the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Al Nuaimi remarked that the intense security measures by the police have led counterfeiters to “think up of new and innovative ways to hide and make their counterfeit products”.
“The issue of the protection of intellectual property right is attracting more attention than before as it is a part of the UAE government’s policy to protect the rights of the publisher [owner of the trade mark] as well as safety of the customer,” he said.
He spoke of some of the ways counterfeits enter the country. They could be mixed in with real goods in one container or they can be brought in without labels and fake labels put on them, such as on mobile phones, in the UAE.
Usually, people who sell fake products hide them in apartments or in shops in the back streets, Brigadier Shaikh Al Nuaimi said. “And when you go with them to these places, how can you tell if they are not tricking you to rob or attack you, especially if you are a woman?” he asked.
The battle against pirated products, he added, is not yet over as more efforts have to be made to make the public aware about the negative consequences of using counterfeit products and make them knowledgeable about identifying fake products.
Lt-Colonel Al Maaini from Dubai Police said a total of 49 different training programmes have been conducted at the government and public departments across the country to familiarise officials with the protection of intellectual property right laws.
“People need to know that these items can pose a health risk. People don’t think that fake bags or belts can harm them but there have been tests that show that fake leather items produce harmful chemicals that can affect health and even lead to cancer,” said Lt-Col Al Maaini.
UAE actively takes part in global fight against fake medicine trade
Dr Ameen Hussain Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Public Policy and Licensing of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, said the UAE actively combats the global counterfeit drug trade. The worldwide phenomenon of medicine counterfeiting continues to be an issue affecting patients’ health and causing deaths around the world.
Counterfeiting forms 10 per cent of drug trade globally, and counterfeit medicine sales are worth up to $85 billion per year.
Dr Al Amiri highlighted a World Health Organisation (WHO) finding that more than 1.2 million people worldwide die due to consuming counterfeit medicines annually.
China and Africa are the biggest suppliers of counterfeit drugs which then make their way to Europe, he said. “Counterfeit medicines are a major problem facing developing and developed countries. These products are handled by drug mafias and they trick the consumers who are unable to assess the quality of the medicine or differentiate between real and counterfeit medicine,” said Dr Al Amiri.
Highlighting the UAE’s efforts to combat this global menace, Dr Al Amiri said, “Our mission is to ensure customers get high-quality, safe and effective medicines and make the UAE free of counterfeit drugs. This is why all regulatory authorities such as the Ministry of Health, Dubai Police, Ministry of Interior and Dubai Customs are working together to bring about this change.”
He noted that the pharmaceutical market value in the UAE in the past year reached Dh10.77 billion, representing 19.2 per cent of health-care expenditure in the state, while the same for this year was Dh11.32 billion.
By 2020, it is expected that spending in the pharmaceutical market will reach Dh15.50 billion and by 2025, it would be Dh21.74 billion.
Ajman Police handled 24 cases of counterfeit product trade and arrested 147 suspects of different nationalities. The products seized were worth millions of dirhams.
Suspects apprehended in 2016 and their countries
- China: 39
- India: 27
- Syria: 19
- Iraq: 17
- Philippines: 13
- Bangladesh: 11
- Pakistan: 7
- France; 2
- US: 2
- UAE: 1
- 2015: 2 million counterfeit cartridges worth Dh147 million seized.
- 2014: Ajman Police conducted one of the largest seizures in the emirate netting 18,000 counterfeit wristwatches priced at Dh4 million.
- Suspects face jail terms of less than one year and fines ranging between Dh5,000 and Dh10,000
Recommendations of the conference
1. Collaboration between the private and government sectors to make community members aware about the risk of fake items, the negative consequences to brand owners and violation of intellectual property rights with the aim of achieving sustainability.
2. Define the main challenges that face security agencies and find solutions for them in cooperation with the main authorities concerned.
3. Increase the number of seizure and inspection campaigns.
4. Work on the creation and development of modern programmes and strict procedures to detect fraud and counterfeits.
5. Coordination between customs agencies in the state and joint customs operations rooms at the federal level to exchange information and supervision of all goods entering or exiting the state.
