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By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Business and Trade (MBT) yesterday conducted a workshop on combating the menace of counterfeit products through the use of smartphones, in co-operation with Beet Al Hekhma Consulting, the UAE.
The workshop introduced a website that has an extensive database of images and documentation of a wide range of original branded products. It was created in Saudi Arabia in 2009 and launched in the UAE last year by Gareth Davies, managing director of the company.
Davies said this was the third consecutive workshop to be held on this issue. The first two were conducted in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and there will be a similar workshop in China next month.
“We have managed to make a mobile version of the website, which inspectors can log on to by using their smartphones and upload photographs of ‘doubtful’ products found in any outlet. The photographs will be compared with the information available in the database (TrAC) and it will help determine the originality of the product,” Davies explained.
He said the process can be completed instantly and, in case of delays due to some technical difficulties, it may take up to 48 hours. The counterfeit products can be traced to their place of origin and manufacturer through shipment documents and in co-ordination with the Customs authorities.
Some 20 inspectors from the anti-commercial fraud section of the Consumer Protection Department took part in the workshop. “The workshop is highly fruitful and will considerably improve the capabilities and performance of inspectors in combating counterfeit products and commercial fraud. It also aims to enforce consumer protection laws and regulations and protect international brands and trademarks,” said Yusuf al-Suwaydi, head of the anti-commercial fraud section.
The inspectors were trained on how to access the website and take clear and high-quality pictures of different products they encounter during their work by using their smartphones and upload them accordingly. In case of proven fraud, they will proceed with the necessary paperwork to file a complaint against the offender and further pursue the unoriginal product, which violates related laws.
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