Facing the rising tide of counterfeits

Dubai: The UAE has not spared any effort in combating counterfeit products. For example, in a recent raid, thousands of suspected fake watches and flash memory drives worth an estimated Dh3.25 million were confiscated in Dubai and Sharjah.

The haul was the latest in the series of raids conducted by UAE authorities.

In this most recent crackdown on February 21, undercover police swooped down on a Deira shop allegedly owned by a Chinese national and confiscated boxes containing 5,150 Casio watches suspected to be knockoffs.

On February 11, authorities raided a stall at Dragon Mart where 4,500 fake watches and 4,500 pieces of assorted brands of USB flash drives and memory sticks were seized.

The raids were conducted following tip-offs, according to Hatem Gani, of the intellectual property department of Al Shaali & Co Advocates and Legal Consultants.

"The authorities are quite proactive," said Gani, whose Dubai-based firm represents several international brands in the Middle East.

"More than 20 raids against counterfeiters or traders of fake goods had been conducted across the UAE on behalf of trademark owners since January."

"The authorities and other relevant agencies in the UAE are relentless in their campaign to crack down on dealers of fake products who exploit the trust of consumers, and violate the right of the manufactures," said Gani.

Earlier this month, more than 300 fake Casio calculators had been confiscated by authorities in Sharjah, along with a big quantity of counterfeit Hitachi trimmers or electric shavers.

In January, more than $1 million worth of fake auto parts were seized in Dubai in one raid, according to Gani. He applauded Dubai and Sharjah authorities' cooperation in protecting international brands, consumers and distributors.

The confiscated goods were sent to the Dubai Central Laboratory for confirmation tests.

An estimated $500 million counterfeit goods - including cosmetics, tea, electrical devices, watches and auto parts - reach Gulf countries from various sources each year. Counterfeiting and piracy costs the global economy at least $100 billion every year, according to the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The World Customs Organisation said 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the profits derived from counterfeit goods from the Asia Pacific region are being used to finance terror groups and organised crime.

Following the raids, Aisha Butti, an official of the Ministry of Economy in Dubai, said the UAE is doing its best to comply with the country's commitments to the international community.

"Of course...the UAE is sharpening its fight against counterfeiting, both in terms of the legal framework as well as enforcement," said Butti.

Three laws in the UAE relate to unfair competition, fraud and counterfeiting - Commercial Transactions Law No 18 of 1993, Federal Law No 4 of 1979 for Combating Fraud and Counterfeiting in Commercial Transactions and Trademark Law No 37 of 1992.

The UAE joined the WIPO in 1975. The country also signed agreements on trade- related intellectual property (Trips) in 1994 and that of Industrial Intellectual Property (Paris Agreement) in 1996.

Timeline: Recent raids

February 21, 2007: 5,150 pieces of counterfeit watches were confiscated from a stall in Murshid Bazaar, Deira, Dubai. It was the latest in the series of raids conducted by the authorities in the emirates.

February 11, 2007: A raid on a stall in Dragon Mart yielded 4,500 fake Casio watches and 4,500 pieces of assorted brands of USB flash drives and memory sticks.

February 8, 2007: A raid by Sharjah Municipality operatives from the Anti Fraud Section netted 3,000 pieces of counterfeit Casio calculators and Japan-made hair trimmers of assorted brands.