Dubai seizes Dh1bn worth of fake goods

Dubai // Counterfeit goods valued at about Dh1 billion were seized in Dubai last year, an increase of 7 per cent from 2015, says the emirate’s Department of Economic Development (DED).

Sellers of fake products are increasingly offering their wares on social media, rather than on the streets of old Dubai.

Authorities closed 8,894 social media accounts related to such illegal sales last year.

“The number of social networking sites closed for selling fake goods was 200 per cent higher compared with 2015,” said Ibrahim Behzad, director of intellectual property rights management at the department.

“Criminals believe that selling fake products through social networking will be safer.”

Last year, DED investigators confiscated 67.7 million counterfeit items worth about Dh1.1 billion.

14.6 million mobile phones worth about Dh429 million were seized last year, topping the list of confiscated goods.

Fashion accessories worth more than Dh103m were seized, as were 7.6 million tobacco paraphernalia and cigarettes.

Authorities also confiscated about 6.2 million cosmetic items worth Dh105m and construction materials worth Dh42.9m.

Mr Behzad said the department monitors the emirate’s commercial districts and shops, and he urged the public to share information about shops that sell counterfeit goods.

The department’s investigators were being trained by international fashion brands to spot counterfeit products, he added.

Last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union Intellectual Property Office estimated the yearly value of the counterfeit goods trade – which includes medical drugs, children’s toys and fake car parts – at about half a trillion US dollars.

A study by the two organisations said the findings “contradicts the image that counterfeiters only hurt big companies and luxury goods manufacturers”.

The vast majority of fake goods – 63 per cent – came from China, while the UAE was ranked eighth in the list of countries where counterfeit goods originated from.