The Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG), a non-profit organisation committed to combating counterfeit trade, has called for stricter intellectual property law enforcement and closer collaborations among brand owners and government departments to ramp up the battle against counterfeit trade in the GCC region.

The issues came under spotlight during the group’s board of directors meeting in Dubai, UAE, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It was attended by Al Tamimi and Company partner and regional head of intellectual property Omar Obeidat, Nestlé Middle East ‎Regional Intellectual Property adviser Moutaz Abdullat, Beiersdorf Middle East, India and Africa Regional brand protection manager Cameron Walker, Rouse and Company associate Bassel El Turk and Louis Vuitton anti-counterfeiting manager for Middle East and India Malek Hannouf.

During the meeting, the BPG board of directors reviewed the group’s initiatives and activities during the first half. It included a number of training courses for law enforcement officials and customs inspectors in the UAE and the Gulf region, to equip them with the necessary technical knowledge and expertise to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products.

The meeting’s agenda also discussed programmes and training courses planned for the second half, aimed at promoting the group’s activities, goals and to highlight the social and economic risks arising from illicit trade and counterfeiting activities.

BPG has also commissioned a web development consultancy to revamp its website to provide the public as well as member companies with an integrated informative platform.

Over the past few years, BPG has worked closely with various law enforcement bodies in the GCC to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights within the region.

The initiatives included organising a large number of training courses for customs inspectors and law enforcement authorities.

During the second half, BPG is set to undertake a line-up of anti-counterfeiting awareness activities within the GCC, including an intellectual property forum in one of the Gulf states. - TradeArabia News Service