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IPR Department at Dubai Customs destroyed 48,000 counterfeit items (Michael Kors and Apple) as part of their efforts in combating piracy and supporting sustainable development. Destruction of the items is followed by a recycling process which helps brand owners get rid of copied products without hurting the environment.
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The items included 42,184 Apple pieces with a Dhs861,000 in value. The activity took place in the presence of a delegation from the American Consulate, Malik Hanouf, CEO of Brand Owners' Protection Group, Soud Al Aqroubi, Director of International Relations at Federal Customs Authority, Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department at Dubai Customs, Mohammed bin Nasser, Manager of IP Dispute Section, and Sara Al Suwaidi, Manager of External Relations Section at Dubai Customs.
This step reflects the high level of coordination between Dubai Customs and its stakeholders in supporting green life and protecting the environment. Recycling these items reduces the environmental footprint and helps raise awareness around the importance of proper disposal of these harmful items.
As a procedure, trademark owners are informed once fake items holding the name of their brands are seized in order to physically attend the recycling. The IPR Department at Dubai Customs leads the way in seizing counterfeit goods and protecting brands from any IP violations.
In 2019, there were 337 IP dispute cases, with Dhs40.2m market value, out of which 274 genuine products with Dhs33.4m and 53 fake ones with Dhs10.8m. Last year 637,000 items for 190 trademarks were recycled, and the dispute cases concerning genuine products comprised 84% of the total.
Commenting on this, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs said:
“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.
We work towards a vision of becoming the leading customs organization in the world supporting legitimate trade through full compliance to international legislations that protect brand owners from counterfeiting.”
On his part, Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department said:
“The IPR Department works closely with different partners to curb counterfeiting in line with TRIPS agreement. The damage caused by counterfeit goods to the economy, environment and even perhaps 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.”
Ozair added that Dubai Customs regularly organizes awareness activities to enlighten people, especially younger generations, of the importance of the rights of intellectual property.
In 2019, 86 workshops and lectures, which targeted 46,000 people, were organized.
The American Embassy in the UAE highly applauded Dubai Customs efforts in fighting counterfeiting and piracy.