SHARJAH: The seizure is a testament to the coordination and cooperation between government entities across the country to protect intellectual property rights of brands, said a senior official.
More than 40,000 counterfeit pieces of sportswear carrying logos of well-known brands were seized in Sharjah here the other day.
The Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD), in coordination with the Department of Economic Development in Dubai (DED), Sharjah Police and Dubai Police, made the seizure during a joint inspection campaign.
The seizure is a testament to the coordination and cooperation between government entities across the country to protect intellectual property rights of brands, said a senior official.
He affirmed that government entities across the Emirates are striving to put an end to the practice of selling duplicate products. By doing so, he said, the status of the UAE as a trade hub would be boosted.
Bader Al Salman, Acting Deputy Director of Commercial Control and Protection Department at the SEDD, called for intensifying joint efforts to boost the credibility of local markets.
Ali Fadil, Head of Commercial Protection Section at the SEDD, called on consumers to report malpractices on 800-800-00 or on the SEDD website www.shjconsumer.ae. Ibrahim Bahzad, Senior Director of the Intellectual Property Rights Section at the DED, said: “A team from the Protection of Property Rights unit coordinated with the trademark owners and collected the required information.
“The Dubai Police raided an apartment in Dubai and seized counterfeit products. A warehouse in Sharjah where counterfeit products were stored also was subsequently raided.”
Bahzad emphasised that the joint inspection campaigns will continue to fight commercial fraud of products and services so as to protect intellectual property rights.
