The Ministry of Economy and the BPG will work in unison to raise public awareness about IPR through dedicated campaigns throughout the UAE.
Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates): As a sign of the symbiotic relationship between the private and public sectors, the UAE Ministry of Economy has today signed an MoU with the Brand Owners’ Protection Group for the GCC & Yemen (BPG) to streamline its continuous efforts to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and to strengthen the fight against counterfeiting in the UAE.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Engineer Mohammed Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihi, Undersecretary, the Ministry of Economy, and Mr. Omar Shteiwi, Chairman of the BPG and Regional Intellectual Property Advisor for Nestlé Middle East, at signing ceremony held at the MOE headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and was attended by a number of government dignitaries and representatives of the BPG’s Brand Owners and Service Providers.
Commenting on the substantial government interest and participation, Mr. Omar Shteiwi, Chairman of the BPG, and Regional Intellectual Property Advisor for Nestlé Middle East, North & East Africa said: “We are extremely delighted to receive such high interest from the government. This MoU is a landmark agreement and shows unprecedented governmental dedication and commitment. The UAE has made great strides towards protecting IPR and combating counterfeit trade, and we are keen to continue this momentum until we can eliminate this malicious activity and share this best practice and partnership with the Public Sectors not only in the GCC but also Globally.”
The MoU aims to enhance the already existing solid relationship between the BPG and the Ministry of Economy in protecting Intellectual Property rights and executing the existing legislations and international treaties, where UAE is engaged, and that combat all forms of violation including counterfeited products that directly have a negative impact on the current 20 members of BPG that are involved in producing and manufacturing high quality products and spend millions on research and development per year , also, BPG Members are regionally headquartered in the UAE and carry out operations that span the GCC, Middle East and North Africa.
The MoU envisages a strategic alliance, by setting forth a framework of cooperation, between the Ministry of Economy and BPG, including its current and future members, by adhering to the relevant international agreements and applicable laws and regulations in the UAE.
Through this MoU the BPG will provide technical and legal training to the Ministry of Economy officials, inspectors, staff and officials from other law enforcement agencies which are specialized in protecting IPR and combating counterfeits concerning the BPG trademarks at the cost of the BPG. The BPG, through its service providers and members, will also participate and cooperate with the Ministry to offer the law enforcers the required legal assistance which will include legal analysis as well as legal studies.
The Ministry of Economy and the BPG will build on the excellent cooperation and work in unison to raise public awareness about Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) through a series of dedicated campaigns throughout the UAE.
The measures will focus on the importance of protecting the IPR by applying, registering, depositing and recording IPR at the relevant division at the Ministry of Economy. Both parties will seek the implementation of the international, federal laws with regard to IPR, its protection and will shed light on the negative impact of any violation of these rights.
The BPG has accelerated its drive against illegal trade and the support for IPR protection in 2008 through a series of activities that have included signing MoUs and various training workshops, conferences, and awareness campaigns across all the Emirates of the country.
The BPG has total support and cooperation from the UAE government, which is demonstrating a relentless drive to root out counterfeit products and all forms of illegal trade in addition to becoming a beacon of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the region.
About BPG
The 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 Beiersdorf Middle East, British American Tobacco, Nestlé Middle East FZE, Philip Morris Management Services Middle East Ltd., Unilever, Al-Tamimi & Co., and Rouse & Co. International. Other BPG members include brand owners such as Black & Decker (Overseas) A.G., BMW Group Middle East, Daimler Middle East FZE, Estee Lauder Middle East FZE, Ford Motor Company, GlaxoSmithKline, GM Overseas Distribution Corp., Johnson & Johnson M.E., Kao Brands Company, Kraft Foods, Mars GCC, Nokia Corporation MEA, Phillips International, Procter & Gamble, and Sanofi-Aventis, and service providers such as Abu-Setta & Partners, AGN MAK, Al-Suwaidi & Company, Cedar White Bradley Consulting, Clyde & Co., Denton Wilde Sapte, Khasawneh & Associates, Epoc Messe Frankfurt GMBH, PICA, Saba & Co., and United Trademark & Patent Services.
