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Fake Adidas items seized from 10 RAK outlets

RAS AL KHAIMAH — The Department of Economic Development in Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday destroyed a large quantity of counterfeit products purportedly of Adidas brand, which were confiscated from ten shops over the last one week.

Omar Abdullah Al Bayidh, Head of the Consumer Protection Section, said the department was alerted by Adidas Sneaker Company that some shopping centres in the emirate were selling some fake products carrying its trademark, but imported from some Asian countries, against cheaper prices.

The department, in collaboration with the Control and Inspection Section, and the Department of Public Works. raided the shops and confiscated the fake goods.

The recent statistics show that fake goods may account for 10 per cent of global trade, that is worth of $500 billion. Sneaker companies are among the hardest hit among footwear manufacturers. In 2007, Adidas (ADS) said counterfeit footwear and apparel valued at $7 million was seized by government agencies worldwide.

Hailing the raids, Yasser Ghalib Hassan of Adidas, said such a move will help control the markets here and protect famous brands and their intellectual property rights. “What makes the situation worse is that it is sometimes hard for consumers to differentiate between the original and fake products.”

In April this year, the Department of Economic Development (DED) her stepped up its crackdown on outlets or business establishments flouting commercial laws.

“Since the beginning of this year, the department has fined 375 business establishments that were found violating various laws. The department also forced some outlets to shut down permanently for repeated violations,” Khaleej Times quoted Ahmed Ali Al Baroushi, head of the Oversight and Consumer Protection Department at the DED, at that time.

The violations committed by the establishments include the sale of expired and pirated products, selling products at increased prices, displaying goods outside the shops, operating with expired licences, absence of price lists in the shops and others.

Al Baroushi said the department last year received several complaints from consumers about the increase in commercial violations among traders and owners of various businesses including supermarkets, grocery shops, merchandise shops, laundry shops, meat shops, salons, garages and others.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com