BPG strengthens ties with Dubai Department of Economic Development with training session

The Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG) is a non-profit organization, officially founded in 2005 to fight illegal replication of genuine goods and other forms of illegal trade and strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights. The BPG Board Members are Al Tamimi & Company, Beiersdorf Middle East, British American Tobacco, Ford Motor Company, Nestlé Middle East FZE, Nokia and Rouse & Co.

Other BPG members include brand owners such as BMW Group Middle East, Cisco Systems, Dabur International LTD, Daimler Middle East FZE, Estee Lauder Middle East FZE, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Kao Brands Company, Kraft Foods, Mars GCC, Nokia Corporation, Nissan Middle East, Philip Morris, Phillips International, Procter & Gamble, Robert Bosch Middle East, Sanofi-Aventis and Unilever. The BPG service providers are Abu-Setta & Partners, Al Suwaidi & Company, Al Tamimi & Co., Cedar White Bradley Consulting, Clyde & Co., Epoc Messe Frankfurt GMBH, Horwath Max Business Consulting, Khasawneh & Associates, Rouse & Co International, Saba & Co., and United Trademark & Patent Services.

Chaired by Mr. Omar Shteiwi, Regional Intellectual Property Advisor at Nestlé Middle East, the BPG is also associated with The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) and has signed cooperation MoUs with the UAE Ministry of Economy, Dubai Customs, Sharjah Customs, Quality Brand Protection Committee in China (QBPC) and the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum of Japan (IIPPF) and bagged the Global Anti Counterfeiting Group (GACG) award in 2008.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) was established in March 1992, with the objective to organise, regulate and boost trade and industry within the Emirate of Dubai.

In October 2008, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai, issued Decree no. 25 giving full responsibility to DED to plan and regulate the overall economic performance of Dubai, supervise its functions and support the economic development to ensure the objectives of the Dubai Strategic Plan are achieved.