Dubai – 29, September 2021: The IPR Department at Dubai Customs launched a series of awareness workshops under the patronage of Mansoor Al Malik, executive director for policies and legislation Division. 

The workshops were organized in coordination with the Brand Owners' Protection Group and targeted express shipping and courier companies. They aim to enhance cooperation with strategic partners ahead of EXPO2020 Dubai and following the directives of Dubai Government of providing an attractive environment for investment and trade.  

Yousef Ozair Mubarak, Director of IPR Department launched the workshops in the presence of 
Malik Hanouf, CEO of Brand Owners' Protection Group (BPG).

Ozair welcomed the 43 participants and highlighted the significance of effective partnership between Dubai Customs and BPG. Kholoud Al Hawsani, Awareness Senior Officer gave a lecture titled “Fighting Illegitimate Trade and Application of Intellectual Property Policy”. 
Three brand owners including Louis Vuitton delivered presentations. 

The initiative aims to encourage fair trade in the emirate through fighting counterfeiting.  

Ozair commented; “Organizing these workshops raise express shipping companies’ awareness around counterfeited products, and would help I prevent their entry to the market. Nowadays e-commerce is gaining more importance, especially with the advent of the greatest show on earth: EXPO 2020. We organized 19 awareness events in the first 9 months this year that targeted 1,824 beneficiaries from different segments. In addition, we organize technical workshops to help inspectors better distinguish genuine goods from fake one in cooperation with BPG. In the first 9 months, we organized eight specialized workshops that targeted 233 inspectors. Last year we organized 46 awareness events for 2,358 people, and 10 workshops that targeted 309 people.”