VZCZCXRO4928
RR RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDE #0336/01 2300723
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180723Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6592
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 9881

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000336 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/FO; NEA/ARP/BMCGOVERN 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR MOWREY, BUNTIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD KIPR EFIN ECON PREL AF TC
SUBJECT: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTECTION A PRIORITY SAY DUBAI 
OFFICIALS. 
 
DUBAI 00000336  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Protection of Intellectual Property Rights 
(IPR) and prosecution of counterfeiters remain top priorities of 
the Dubai and federal UAE governments, according to Dubai 
Customs officials.  Efforts to date have been limited by a 
population still largely uninformed about the need to protect 
IPR and the sheer size of the challenge of monitoring the 
enormous volume of cargo passing through Dubai's ports. Dubai 
officials aim to increase IPR education for the public and enact 
tougher legal sanctions on counterfeiters.  They also discussed 
broader IPR enforcement efforts in the region and the recent 
detention in Dubai of five transshipment containers suspected of 
holding counterfeit goods.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
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DUBAI CUSTOMS LEADS IPR PROTECTION FOR UAE 
 
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¶2. (SBU) Given the significant trade volumes passing through 
Dubai, the now 100 year old Dubai Customs office is an important 
point of contact for IPR education and enforcement in Dubai and 
the UAE.  The Department of Intellectual Property Rights, 
established in June 2005 and housed within Dubai Customs 
headquarters, is central to these efforts, active at each of 
Dubai's 16 key seaports, airports and border crossings.  In 
addition to enforcing the UAE's federal copyright and trademark 
law, Dubai Customs also relies on Dubai-specific consumer 
protection laws to more stringently clamp down on and 
criminalize IPR infringements.  These consumer protection laws 
seem to have broader legal jurisdiction and stricter sanctioning 
regimes.  Dubai Customs senior legal advisor and Acting Director 
of the IPR Division, Khalid Babiker El Nour, told EconOff that 
Customs officials also rely on a fairly sophisticated shipment 
recordation system and a robust set of procedures to liaise with 
both local law enforcement and private businesses.  Customs 
agents utilize updated logs full of pictures and certifying 
marks of trademarked goods provided by businesses to identify 
counterfeit goods that pass through the ports during routine 
inspections. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Dubai officials act on information from local 
intelligence agencies and Dubai-based Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) agents to target specific containers that may 
contain counterfeit goods.  IPR Department officials then work 
with forensic investigators, local law enforcement, the Ministry 
of Health and the Dubai Municipality to verify the authenticity 
of suspected counterfeit goods and to confirm trademark 
infringement.  They also liaise with federal authorities once 
violators have been identified, so that the UAE Ministry of 
Economy and Dubai Department of Economic Development can 
register these counterfeiters.  Finally, local IPR officials 
notify the local media about IPR violators once criminal action 
has been initiated. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The recent detention of five containers allegedly en 
route to Algeria from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), 
suspected of holding counterfeit U.S. health and beauty 
products, demonstrates Dubai's expanding efforts to combat IPR 
infringement.  The majority of the detained products are 
believed to be counterfeits of Proctor and Gamble and Unilever 
brands.  El Nour told EconOff that after analyzing the contents 
of the containers, officials will hold meetings with the 
companies whose trademarks have been infringed upon and may ask 
them to press charges against the counterfeiters in criminal 
court.  While these five containers are but a fraction of the 
millions of in-bound and transshipment cargo that pass through 
Dubai ports, their detention is a positive indication of Dubai 
Customs' commitment to IPR enforcement.  In addition to current 
enforcement efforts, Mr. Mohammed Al Marri, Executive Director 
of Dubai Cargo Operations, suggested the formation of a joint 
Dubai Customs-ICE task force to monitor certain cargo shipments. 
 
 
 
 
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IPR EDUCATION IS A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EFFORT 
 
 
DUBAI 00000336  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
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¶5. (SBU) El Nour explained that educating the public and Customs 
community about the importance of IPR protection is critical to 
combating the market for counterfeit goods.  El Nour is 
advocating a joint public and private effort to combat IPR 
infringement, noting that Dubai government officials cannot 
tackle the problem alone.  To date, Dubai Customs' officials 
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Brand 
Protection Group (BPG), which represents 11 private companies in 
the UAE interested in protecting IPR.  El Nour told EconOff that 
the MOU has been effective in increasing information sharing 
between the public and private sectors.  He added that, since 
2006, Dubai Customs has hosted nine IPR workshops.  In addition, 
Dubai hosts an annual IPR day in April.  Officials also 
regularly disseminate IPR protection pamphlets provided by the 
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to local customs 
officials in neighboring jurisdictions, as well as to local 
businesses. 
 
 
 
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COMMENT 
 
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¶6. (SBU) Dubai's IPR Department said all the right things about 
the importance of improved IPR enforcement in the UAE.  Better 
yet, the recent detention of five in-bound containers at USG 
request demonstrates a willingness to take action utilizing 
sophisticated intelligence and identification procedures to 
interdict violators and protect residents from potentially 
dangerous counterfeit goods.  The fact that officials here 
convey a willingness to employ broader and more stringent 
consumer protection laws to criminalize and sanction IPR 
infringements, in addition to the use of existing IPR laws on 
the books, indicates a commitment to combating the problem.  The 
tougher sanctions on IPR violators also corresponds to the 
government's commitment to maintaining Dubai's image as a viable 
destination for acquiring properly certified and trademarked 
consumer goods and luxury brands.  Given Dubai's role as a major 
transshipment hub for cargo and goods, we will continue to work 
closely with customs officials here to ensure diligent efforts 
to screen in-bound and transshipment cargo for counterfeit goods 
as well as other non-consumer oriented illicit cargo.   END 
COMMENT. 
SIBERELL