The Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG), the largest non-profit organisation in the Gulf committed to combating counterfeit trade, discussed new ways to curb the exchange of illegal products and expand anti-counterfeiting initiatives in the region.

At the BPG annual general meeting, the members identified the trade of illegal products through free zones as one of the group’s key areas of focus.

“The counterfeiters’ use of free zones to pass their illegal products is a very important issue. The BPG will investigate this matter in order to find practical solutions," said chairman Abdulla Hasayen.

In this regard, a discussion session was headed by Anthony Brelet, the French Customs Attaché to examine foreign Customs experiences regarding free zones in the UAE and beyond, followed by a presentation by Dr Abdelrahman Almuaini of Emirates Intellectual Property Association - Dubai Police.

As the BPG amplifies its existing efforts to battle counterfeit products, the group’s meeting agenda also touched upon its increased concentration on maintaining its activities and initiatives related to capacity building and training for government enforcement officials.

"It is always a priority for the BPG to initiate and participate in training events across the GCC region, due to the importance of such events in raising awareness about the problem of counterfeiting," Hasayen said.

"Our members have also discussed focus areas for the coming period, and decided to increase the level of collaboration between the BPG and enforcement authorities in a number of GCC countries," he added.

Representatives from BPG's member brands including Al Tamimi & Company, Beiersdorf, BMW, Clyde & Co., Daimler, Ford, Louis Vuitton, Nestlé, Nissan, Nokia, Philip Morris International, Rouse & Company, Saba & Co., Sanofi-Aventis, 3M and Unilever attended.-TradeArabia News Service