Counterfeiters face civic body's wrath

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 1 Feb 2010

Battling against counterfeit products being circulated in the emirate of Dubai, the civic authorities have ended up with impounding tens of thousands of such goods recently.

The huge quantity of fake products trapped by Dubai Municipality (DM) included pirated DVD prints of films, CD prints of pornographic movies and alcoholic beverages.

The operation has been carried out by the DM's special committee on disposal of unwanted materials, in cooperation and coordination with different competent government agencies.

A Municipality spokesperson said that all the products seized by the civic inspectors from different people and shops in various parts of the city have been confiscated, after taking necessary legal actions and penalties against the individuals involved.

"The amount of destroyed DVDs with pirated movies has been estimated at a total of 54,335 pieces, while the pornographic movies were measured at 1,701 pieces. About 998 bottles of alcoholic drinks were also confiscated," he said.

"The counterfeit products were destroyed at the Municipal garbage dump located in Al Qusais in the presence of representatives of the competent authorities along with officials and inspectors from the DM's Environment Department," added.

According to him, the action comes at a time when the Municipality inspection campaigns were on to control illegal street vendors.

"During the month of December the civic inspectors caught 178 street vendors, from whom a big quantity of items were confiscated, including 298 counterfeit products," said the spokesperson.

"The seizures ranged from fake and low-quality lifestyle products such as readymade garments and perfumes, as well as electronic products like cameras and watches imitating international brands," he pointed out.

"About 2,272 DVD prints with pirated films, 64 pornographic movies, in addition to 205 foodstuff items including boxes of fruits and vegetables were also been confiscated in December," he added.

"The civic affairs authority's efforts are focused on wiping out the business of fake consumer products from the Emirate. The civic officers carry out inspections on a daily basis aimed at maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the city as well as preserving the cultural heritage of the Emirate," he noted.

"The process of cracking down on illegal trading activities, besides protecting the genuine goods trade, significantly influences the lives of residents by causing a prevention of consumption of low quality counterfeit goods as well as indecent material."

"About nine inspectors at the DM's Control Unit of the Markets Administration Section in the Assets Management Department carry out regular checks to book the violators as per the rules issued in this regard," said the spokesperson.