JUNE 2008
How to tackle fakes in the UAE
The UAE is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Hazem Farah Kakish and Simmy Flame Rease explain how you can keep counterfeits out of this burgeoning market
| One-minute read |
| The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is renowned for luxury, tourism, business and rapid development. Its free trade zones offer attractive financial incentives to businesses to invest there and its location at the centre of the Middle East and the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have ensured that the country has become a key international trading hub. Nevertheless, while the UAE has plenty to offer international investors – including minimal red tape to facilitate hassle-free shipping, it also poses particular challenges to IP owners. In particular, its free trade zones, its status as a transshipment hub and its proximity to both the leading fake-producing countries in Asia and to the lucrative European markets where many of the products are destined create headaches for corporate anti-counterfeiters. |
A recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, commissioned by the Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG), showed that the luxury goods, automobile spare parts, fast moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries in the UAE are all targeted by counterfeiters. The automobile spare parts industry is particularly badly hit – the survey showed that fake products make up 68.5% of those on the market. The least affected sector was pharmaceuticals, where counterfeits made up 0.2% of the market.
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