Ahmad Butti Ahmad, Director General, Dubai Customs has issued a call for bipartite public and private sector partnership spearheaded by customs authorities to curb the regional and international spread of counterfeits and trade in contraband products. His statements were made during a high level roundtable on “Transhipment of Counterfeits from Free Ports - Situation and Remedies within the framework for International Trade Supply Chain” organised by Dubai Customs today in Dubai (Tuesday, 3 May 2005).
Organised in association with the International Trade Mark Association (INTA), the roundtable provided a forum for high-level debates on the issues of protecting Intellectual Property in the UAE and the region and paved the way for frank discussions on the steps needed to curb the global trade in counterfeit products which is worth US $ 650 billion a year and escalating rapidly.
“Counterfeiting and breach of intellectual property rights are one of the biggest challenges faced by law enforcement and customs authorities in the world. With the volume of world trade growing at an exponential rate, there is a dire need for stringent measures to protect regional and global communities from the malaise of crime, , corruption and risks to their security, health and safety,” said Butti Ahmad
“An effective coalition against counterfeits, that protect intellectual property and eliminate the trade counterfeit products can only be made possible by involving the public and private sector in a strategic partnership in which both of them are made key stakeholders,” he remarked.
Butti Ahmad also hinted at the establishment of an IP crime-fighting unit in Dubai Customs, which will investigate, examine and monitor every single product portfolio entering the emirate.
Eminent personalities including Michel Danet, Secretary General, World Customs Organisation and Hoda Taysir Barakat, Partner, Al Tamimi and Company, the largest non-affiliated law firm in the UAE and a key member of INTA participated in the roundtable and provided some valuable insights into the role Free Zone Authorities can play to address the issue counterfeiting. Protection of intellectual property (IP) has been mainstreamed, as IP promotes economic development and is a key wealth generator. Interpol, the world’s pre-eminent police organisation has classified counterfeiting as serious organised crime, as growing evidence points to the trade in such products being masterminded by trans national criminal networks and terrorists, posing a grave danger, in some cases, to the national security and strategic interests of countries.
Speaking at the roundtable Danet remarked, “Counterfeits and contrabands occupy ten percent of the total international trade in terms of volume and value. In this context, the international community is undertaking key initiatives and developing a framework within which effective measures can be adopted to limit counterfeits and intellectual property breaches. The UAE deserves commendation as it’s the first and the only among the 165 constituent member countries in the WCO, to have undertaken affirmative action in implementing key recommendations included within the framework.”
“Bi-partite partnerships and international collaboration are the two most effective ways to address these important issues,” continued Butti Ahmad. “The round table gathering was very successful as we could generate meaningful dialogue aimed at providing a framework for the regional and international initiatives to address counterfeiting and violation of IP.”
