‘UAE needs to raise efforts in IPR protection’

The UAE loses Dh1.5 billion per year due to fake goods like automobile parts, foodstuffs, home products and cosmetics alone, according  to Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy.

Between 6 to 8 per cent of world trade consists of pirated goods, he added.

This came in a conference on “Intellectual Property Rights, Growth, Innovation and Job Creation in UAE” organised by the Emirates Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property in co-operation with Microsoft Gulf.

The conference was opened on Wednesday by Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.

Al Saleh said the UAE has to raise its efforts to combat commercial fraud and counterfeit goods. Ranking fourth in re-exports and 18th in world trade, the UAE accounts for 1.5 per cent of global trade, he said.

Al Saleh said, according to a foreign study, the world loses $8 billion in foreign direct investment because of the lack of IPR protection.

He added that 60 per cent of counterfeit goods come from Asian countries and the world lost 2.5 million jobs annually due to piracy and counterfeit goods.

He also said governments lose $150 billion annually in taxes and fees due to counterfeit goods.

According to the study, counterfeit goods cost  ‘Group of 20’ countries  $360 billion in 2008 which is seen reaching $960 billion in 2015. Local producers lost $215 billion in 2008 because of counterfeit goods, which is expected to hit $570 billion in 2015. E-commerce losses are seen rising from $75 billion in 2008 to $240 billion in 2015. Total losses of these countries are seen going up from $445 billion to $1.2 trillion during this period, Al Saleh said.

He called for a sustained awareness campaign to encourage people to report cases of commercial fraud and counterfeit goods. Fees for patent and trademark registration should be reduced, he added.

Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan praised the achievements of the UAE in IPR protection. He said UAE ranks 22 globally in the fight against IPR piracy. He stressed the role of the customs department in the fight against fake and counterfeit goods.

Thamer Bu Latif, general manager of Microsoft Gulf, praised the efforts of the UAE in protecting intellectual property since 1996.

The conference was attended by officials of the Ministry of Economy, chambers of commerce, customs department, DEDs and associations for protection of intellectual property rights (IPR).

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.