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Measures to combat counterfeits
The measures employed by Emirati authorities to combat counterfeit products in the market comprise customs seizures, coordinated police raids and expanded cooperation with stakeholders such as brand owners and diplomatic missions. In 2021, the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Department at Dubai Customs announced that during the first nine months of the year, the authorities thwarted 2,669 attempts to introduce counterfeit products in the country, a sharp increase compared to the same period in 2020 when 1,715 such actions were registered. In just one case alone, the customs identified a shipment containing over 17,200 packs of fake Vaseline petroleum jelly.
Moreover, in 2021, 390 IP disputes were resolved and more than 2 million counterfeit goods for 221 trademarks were recycled. In comparison, in 2022, Dubai Customs announced a total of 2,147 seizures, while dealing with 388 IP disputes.
At the same time, the government organized 93 recycling operations, targeting 173,000 counterfeit items. In one such action, in November 2022, the IPR Department recycled over 22,000 counterfeit goods for 24 brands from several countries, such as Germany, Italy, and the United States. The products included watches, phones, bags, shoes, and cosmetics.
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