'We aim to protect trademark rights'

It has always been the objective of the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Division represented by the Intellectual Property Rights Section to safeguard the rights of trademark owners, whose brands are registered and endorsed in the UAE. The owner of the trademark can lodge a complaint with the section in the event of his trademark being violated by unscrupulous companies.
"The division, after receiving the complaint, visits the trade establishments, warehouses and the areas against which the complaint was filed to ensure the infringement is authentic. After verification, action will be taken against the errant firms," said Mashhoor Al Shamsi, Senior Director of the Intellectual Property Cases and Trade Agencies Section.
"The move is designed to protect the owners of the trademarks, the consumers and the society from the danger of duplicate or counterfeit products," he said.
In the last quarter of 2015, the intellectual Property Cases and Trade Agencies Section received a complaint from an owner of a famous brand of automobile spare parts, he said. The task force had immediately studied the case and sent it to the specialist section to visit the establishment against which the complaint was filed to confiscate the fake goods and book the firm for flouting the rules, he added.
"The section had also confiscated, last year, as many as 63 counterfeit pieces bearing noted international trade brands," he said.
Al Shamsi advised the traders to be keen on avoiding sale or dealing with duplicate products, and urged them to ensure the quality and safety of the product before being showcased in the shop.
"Dear merchant, ensure that you purchase from the reliable and guaranteed trade stores which represent the trade brands."
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com