There was a 23 percent increase in the number of trademark infringement cases brought in Dubai over the first half of the year.
The Intellectual Property Protection section in Dubai Economy resolved 186 cases as opposed to 151 over the same period in 2018. Commercial agencies brought forward 16 cases of trademark infringement in the first six months of 2019, a 33 percent increase over H1 2018.
The US led in the number of infringement cases filed with 37, France had 33, Switzerland 21, UAE 17, Germany 14, Britain 13 and Italy had 12.
Among the cases 38 were relating to cosmetics and 22 were about personal care products while the other brands involved were mostly perfumes (21 cases), clothes (14), gold and ornaments (13), phones and accessories (12), glasses (10), bags and leather products (7) and watches (6).
It comes as the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in Dubai Economy witnessed a 63 percent year-on-year increase in trademark files registered on its ‘IP Gateway’ portal during the first six months of 2019.
Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said: “Dubai is a competitive platform for commercial activity and an attractive destination for residents and tourists alike because of its strategic position in the global economy, vigil against counterfeiting, and the ongoing co-operation Dubai Economy continues to strengthen with law firms and trademark representatives.”
Trademark owners worldwide registered 4,735 brands on the portal while commercial agencies registered another 29 during the first half of 2019.
The top five source countries among the trademark files opened in the first six months of 2019 were: USA (1482 files, representing 29 percent of the total); UAE (742 files, 14.8 percent of the total); Germany (325 files, or 7 percent); France (273 files, or 5.2 percent) and the UK (260 files, 5 percent).
A significant upswing in the reception rate of trademark files was seen from certain countries between H1, 2018 and H1, 2019. Trademark files from Saudi Arabia increased from 12 to 72 (up 500 percent), British Virgin Islands went up from 23 to 135 files (up 487 percent), and files from Spain increased from 18 to 93 (up 417 percent). China (31 to 103; 232 percent), Canada (15 to 41; 173 percent), and Britain (140 to 260; 86 percent) also increased their share of the total files remarkably during H1, 2019.
Lootah added: “The significant increase in the number of files registered over the first half of this year reflects the strength of the retail sector in Dubai as well as the purchasing power of residents and competition among brands.”
Lootah called on consumers to report any fraudulent practices to the consumer protection channels of Dubai Economy, including the call centre number 600 54 5555, and Smart Protection, an AI-based app available on both iOS and Android.
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