Amazon has expanded its Project Zero programme, which is focused on tackling counterfeiting, to seven new countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE – the Arab world’s largest economies.
Launched last year, the initiative aims to make sure that people buying from third parties through Amazon only receive authentic goods. The seven new markets added, which include Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, Singapore and Turkey, brings the total number of countries Project Zero covers to 17.
“We expect Amazon customers to feel both confident and safe when making purchases from our stores,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, vice president of Amazon in the Middle East and North Africa.
The expansion of Project Zero to the UAE and Saudi Arabia is a significant investment, Mr Mouchawar said, adding, “We look forward to continuing to work alongside brands to drive counterfeits to zero”.
Amazon invested more than $500 million (Dh1.8 billion) last year to protect customers and brands from fraud, abuse and counterfeits, a company spokesman told The National.
“As a result of our efforts, 99.9 per cent of all products viewed by customers on Amazon have not received a valid counterfeit complaint.”
The company also launched a global counterfeit crime unit in June last year with experience in investigating and prosecuting crimes.
The globalisation of trade and the proliferation of e-commerce and social media have offered enormous opportunities for organised criminals to sell fake goods with greater speed and efficacy, a 2018 Global Brand Counterfeiting Report found.
The amount of counterfeiting worldwide totalled $1.2 trillion in 2017 and is set to reach $1.82tn by the end of this year, according to the report.
More than 10,000 brands including Arduino, BMW, LifeProof, OtterBox, Salvatore Ferragamo and Veet have enrolled in Project Zero, Amazon said.
“We are excited to see that Project Zero is expanding into the new marketplaces … The programme has already had a very positive impact on our enforcement efforts,” said Adrienne McNicholas, co-founder and chief executive of Food Huggers.
In March, the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives passed a bill that plans to make online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay responsible if customers buy fake goods on their platforms.
The US Government Accountability Office found that 20 out of 47 items purchased from third-party sellers on popular consumer websites were counterfeit.
Under Project Zero, Amazon’s machine learning-powered automated protections scan more than 5 billion attempted daily product listing updates to look for suspicious listings.
There is also a self-service tool that allows brands to remove listings they believe to be counterfeits. These removals feed into Amazon’s automated protections, so the company can detect similar potential counterfeit listings in the future.
The company has also developed a product serialisation feature that brands can apply within their manufacturing or packaging processes. This allows them to generate unique codes the company can assign to products, which they can then scan to confirm authenticity when they are listed by third-party sellers on Amazon.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HAJJAN
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
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The%20Iron%20Claw
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
