DUBAI// Thousands of counterfeit electronic goods worth Dh4 million have been seized by authorities from a warehouse in the emirate.
The building in Al Aweer was raided by officials from the Department of Economic Development's Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) division. Over 20,600 fake items were discovered.
They included 5,300 LG, Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Hitachi televisions, 7,000 DVD players and various other devices including stereo sets, pressing irons and vacuum cleaners.
Around 60 people were working in the warehouse. The goods seized weighed in at 120 tonnes.
"Dubai being a major logistics hub and retail destination, we maintain extreme vigil against counterfeiting and trademark infringement," said Khalid Ali Al Youha, acting manager of CCCP's Intellectual Property Rights Protection Unit.
"The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection division conducts regular market inspections and also acts on complaints received, to avoid Dubai being used as a conduit to sell or distribute counterfeit goods."
Inspectors found that the duplicates were carefully packaged to avoid suspicion and even included warranty labels of leading distributors in the region.
Mr Al Youha, said the confiscation marked a "major" episode in efforts to protect trademarks and consumer rights in Dubai.
The fake items will be destroyed and the owner of the goods will be fined Dh30,000 - the maximum penalty for trademark infringement.
"Trademark infringement violates intellectual property rights and Dubai is determined to curb such practices," said Mr Al Youha.
"Counterfeiting corrupts the market, kills innovation and denies a consumer his right to quality and information."
He urged consumers and traders to help the department in targeting counterfeiters.
Complaints against trademark infringement should be submitted to the CCCP together with an official complaint letter, copy of the trademark registration and a written authorisation to proceed with the complaint.
For more information on the requirements for making a trademark infringement complaint, contact the DED's hotline on 600 545555.
nhanif@thenational.ae
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
