Dubai Police handle 297 counterfeit cases worth Dh2b in 2019

Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jalaf, Director of Criminal Investigation Department, CID, emphasised that Dubai Police, in cooperation with its partners, spares no effort to combat economic crimes involving counterfeiting of all kinds of products and goods. Through inspecting stores and capturing those who are involved in counterfeiting cases, Dubai Police managed to preserve the rights of trademarks' owners and their intellectual property.

"More than eight specialized companies from international brands have praised the efforts of the Dubai Police in combating counterfeit products and preserve their intellectual property. These companies included Apple, Louis Vuitton, Richemont, Toyota, and Reckitt Benckiser". Al Jalaf added. The total market value of the fake goods was Dh2,570,253,778.

The Police worked with other authorities, including the Department of Economic Development to foil hundreds of attempts by fraudsters to peddle fake goods in the emirate.

Fake products seized were cosmetics, women's bags and accessories, electronics, watches, perfumes, car parts and mobile gadgets.

Hatem Abdel Ghani, director at the The Legal Group, a law firm based in Dubai advocation intellectual property rights, said consumers who are looking for cheap goods can opt for non-branded products rather than patronizing fake ones .

"If one cannot afford to buy expensive products, there are some options which are almost or of the same quality as the branded ones but don't carry fake marks," he said during the Intellectual Property and Brand Protection Training conducted in Dubai last December.

"In this way, we are not abetting the proliferation of counterfeit items and we are protected as consumers," he explained.

Ghani underlined that: "Taking down the counterfeiters is a big task but it can be done. It is important that brand owners, legal teams and government entities continue to collaborate to combat the illegal trade of fake products."