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UAE is working proactively to reduce intellectual property crimes: Top police official

Dh109.5 million worth of counterfeit goods dispute cases resolved in 2022

The UAE has made rapid strides in the field of protecting rights, ideas, inventions and trademarks, through its enactment of strict laws and legislations that criminalise the infringement of intellectual property of others, said a top police official.

Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai, and Honorary President of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association, delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 12th Regional Intellectual Property Crime Conference on Tuesday in Dubai.

According to him, the UAE government is making great efforts to support its national strategy in order to enhance its position to be the first country in the world, in the field of global competitiveness and protection of intellectual property rights.

The two-day conference is being organised by Dubai Police in cooperation with Interpol under the slogan 'Capacity Building to Support Intellectual Property Leadership'. Participants at the conference include partners from inside and outside the country, officials from the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Interior, Dubai Customs, and the Council of Trademark Owners.

Intellectual property crimes in literary sectors

Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation, said that intellectual property crimes, especially in the literary and cultural sector, constitute a major challenge in light of the accelerating digital transformation.

Global efforts need to be made to introduce community members to the impact of these crimes on the economy in general. Today, the UAE has become a unique model in the region and the Arab world in combating intellectual property crimes through the development of appropriate laws and legislations.

Many qualitative initiatives have been launched to spread moral and legal awareness among members of society on the issue of intellectual property.

Major General Dr Abdul Quddous Abdul Razzaq Al Obaidly, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Excellence and Leadership Affairs at Dubai Police, and President of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association, noted that the focus this year is on 'building leadership capabilities in intellectual property'. It has been one of the strategic goals of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association since it was founded in 201.

Ministry achieves a 55% growth in number of patent applications

Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, said that the UAE is working proactively to reduce intellectual property crimes by bringing about a comprehensive and qualitative development of its legislative and executive system.

These developments include the issuance of three pieces of legislation, namely Federal Law No. (11) of 2021 regarding the regulation and protection of industrial property rights, and the Federal Decree Law 38 of 2021 regarding copyright and related rights, and Federal Decree-Law 36 of 2021 regarding trademarks, which contributed to the provision of integrated protection mechanisms for new inventions and innovative ideas applicable industrially and commercially to all segments of society, and the protection of non-traditional trademarks.

Saleh pointed out that the comprehensive development of the legislative system for intellectual property in the country contributed to enhancing the growth rates of patents and innovation, as the Ministry of Economy achieved a 55% growth in the number of patent applications registered with it during 2022 compared to 2021, and a 30.6% growth in the number of patent applications. Industrial design applications registered for 2022 compared to 2021, while the number of patent applications examined for 2022 increased by a growth rate of 5.4% compared to 2021.

He also said that the country succeeded in registering 21,322 local trademarks and 5,051 international trademarks during 2022. The UAE also ranked first at the Arab and regional level on many indicators related to innovation and intellectual property, the most prominent of which is maintaining the first position for the year in the Arab world. It ranked seventh in a row in the Global Innovation Index for the year 2022, while it advanced two additional ranks on the general classification of the index for this year, to rank 31 globally.

Dh109.5 million worth of counterfeit goods dispute cases solved

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Vice-President and CEO of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Director General of Dubai Customs, said that the Customs Department dealt and resolved 388 cases of counterfeit goods with a total value of Dh109.5 million in 2022.

He added that the protection of intellectual property rights is gaining double importance with the escalation of the value of non-oil foreign trade for the UAE, whose value in the first nine months of 2022 amounted to more than Dh1.6 trillion, achieving a growth of 19% compared to the same period in 2021.

This would establish the future in the volume of foreign trade supported by the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, by working to double the total value of Dubai's foreign trade in goods and services during the years 2023 to 2033 from Dh14.2 trillion to Dh25.6 trillion.

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