United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaches a new milestone in Intellectual Protection (IP) from the United States Trade Representative (UTSR) decision to remove UAE from the watch list for IP protection and enforcement. In the UTSR annual report, it was reported that the UAE applied adequate and effective measures to protect and enforce intellectual property rights as per IP related international standards and global best practices. The annual report highlights the compliance and increased efforts of UAE that lead to the removal of the watchlist after longstanding IP concerns.

The UTSR stated in the report on global IP compliance that the UAE made progress on longstanding IP enforcement lead by federal authorities and local governments pushing a series of IP enforcements on longstanding IP enforcement standards. The decision holder H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, CEO and Chairman of DP World Group and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), welcomed the decision of the taking the UAE off the watchlist and underlined the UAE for the commitment in implementing IP regulations.

H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem stated, “We are pleased that Dubai Customs’ IP efforts have contributed to this achievement by the UAE. This underpins strategic plans to increase foreign trade growth, in fulfillment of the wise leadership’s directives and particularly the trade roadmap vision approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which sets out a five-year plan to boost Dubai’s foreign trade to Dh2 trillion,” as he boosted over UAE performance.

Efforts by Dubai UAE POV:

H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem explained that Dubai Customs has been actively engaged in tackling the illicit trade of counterfeits, while being in full corporation with the US and other foreign bodies. The Dubai Customs works in tandem with the IPR departs to enforces intellectual property and trademark laws by making sure that any IPR infringing goods are seized to prevent from entering local markets.

H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs said, “Dubai Customs has long been steadfastly committed to intellectual property rights protection. In 2005, we established the IPR department, the first of its kind at the level of customs authorities in the Middle East, with the aim of optimizing coordination amongst different customs units and centers in the area of enforcement and protection of intellectual property rights,” when describing Dubai Customs efforts in protecting IPR laws.

In 2021, Dubai Customs organized twelve workshops to introduce training of distinguishing between counterfeit products targeted at 1,394 staff and students. This training led to Dubai Customs resolved 81 intellectual property disputes, with an estimated value of Dh 11.3 million and recycled 510,000 counterfeit items for 26 international brands.

The Director of the IPR department, Yousuf Ozair Mubarak, mentioned that Dubai Customs teams constantly communicate with US and foreign countries to understand their needs and requirements in respect of protection and enforcement of the IP rights to ensure business interests of their partnering organizations.