Dubai: Dubai Customs destroyed 48,000 counterfeit items of Michael Kors and Apple products in the first quarter of 2020 as part of their efforts to combat piracy and support sustainable development, it was announced on Sunday.
According to Dubai Customs, the destruction of the items is followed by a recycling process which helps brand owners get rid of copied products without damaging the environment.
The items included 42,184 Apple products worth Dh861,000.
As a procedure, trademark owners are informed once fake items holding the name of their brands are seized, in order for them to physically attend the recycling.
According to customs, there were 337 intellectual property dispute cases last year, with a market value of Dh40.2 million, out of which there were 274 genuine products worth Dh33.4 million and 53 fake ones worth Dh10.8 million.
Last year 637,000 items for 190 trademarks were recycled, and the dispute cases concerning genuine products comprised 84 per cent of the total.
“Dubai Customs fights counterfeiting and piracy in all means to protect the rights of brand owners and help them sustain their business through exchange of expertise and cooperation with other partners and countries,” said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs.
He added that Dubai Customs was working towards a vision of becoming the leading customs organisation in the world supporting legitimate trade through full compliance to international legislations that protect brand owners from counterfeiting.
Yousef Aziz Mubarak, Director of Intellectual Property Rights Department at Dubai Customs said that they are working with different partners to curb counterfeiting in line with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) agreement.
“The damage caused by counterfeit goods to the economy, environment and even our overall quality of life should be something of a given for most people. Perhaps Intellectual Property rights-holders are those most likely to feel the true pinch of this rogue industry, but when one considers the big picture it becomes clear that everyone is liable to be affected by counterfeiting and piracy,” Mubarak said.
Dubai Customs organized 86 workshops and lectures for 46,000 people last year to enlighten people, especially the younger generation, to the importance of rights regarding intellectual property.
The American Embassy in the UAE highly applauded Dubai Customs efforts in fighting counterfeiting and piracy.
