Dubai Customs Carries out 133 IPR Seizures Worth Dh72.6 Million in First Half of 2017

Dubai Customs has firmly stood against infringements of intellectual property rights in order to protect society and the economy from the harm of counterfeit goods, and to support a competitive investment environment in Dubai by enabling producers to avoid losses arising from imitation of their brands.

The number of seizures of IPR-infringing items carried out by Dubai Customs in the first half of 2017 was 133 seizures, worth up to Dh 72.584 million.

The seized goods included electronics, watches, glasses, clothing, fabrics, perfumes and cosmetics, medicines and medical equipment, tires, auto spare parts, telephones and accessories, computers and other imports.

Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department said: "Intellectual property rights protection gains double importance in the evolution course of our national economy at the current stage, particularly that the UAE has an orientation to focus on unleashing the spirit of creativity and innovation in government work and in society at large."

 "Accordingly, we put the protection of intellectual property rights on top of our priorities at Dubai Customs, and are working to improve the level of our performance in dealing with counterfeit goods, by providing the best levels of training for staff and inspectors in the circuit, to enable them to detect counterfeiting and piracy efficiently, backed by the best innovations and technologies in the control and inspection field" he added.

Ozair pointed out that Dubai Customs equips its centers with the most advanced inspection equipment to efficiently guarantee the best results in controlling and seizing counterfeited products.

“We also cooperate with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and with other relevant authorities to coordinate efforts against counterfeiting” he added.