Dubai cracks down on counterfeit trade at Dragon Mart

Dubai Customs is cracking down on the sale of counterfeit goods at Dragon Mart, Nakheel’s China themed shopping mall, an official has said.

A series of inspections will be carried out at the shopping centre as part of a wider campaign to combat piracy in the emirate, Khalid Babiker El Nour, a legal advisor at Dubai Customs, told Dubai daily Al Emarat Alyoum on Tuesday.

Counterfeited goods in various sectors have already been confiscated and destroyed, he added.

The agency is also launching an information campaign to raise awareness of the issue among customers and retailers at Dragon Mart.

Counterfeit trade in the UAE has soared this year due to the economic crisis and Dubai Customs has identified 176 cases of fake products entering the region in the last six months compared with 202 for the whole of 2008, newswire Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The counterfeit goods market in the UAE is estimated to be worth around $6.27m, according to a 2006 study by the Dubai-based Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG).

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