DUBAI: Senior public and private officials will on Dec.12 hold the 3rd Community Safety Conference themed; “Combating Counterfeiting Through Standardisation and Meteorology”  organised by the Dhahi Khalfan Intellectual Property Centre at the Dubai Police Officers Club.

“The discussion will help in paving ways of combatting local and global counterfeiting,” said the Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Dubai Police’s Quality and Excellence, Major General Dr Abdul Quddus Abdul Razzaq Al Obaidly.

Held under the patronage of the Deputy Chairman of Police and Public Security, Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the conference will be hosted in collaboration with Underwriters Laboratories Middle East and Dubai Police.

“It will help fight counterfeiters and enhance community safety in the UAE and the wider region,” added Al Obaidly, also the Chairman of Emirates Intellectual Property Association (EIPA) Board of Directors.

CRITICAL TOPICS

Among the high-ranking attendees who are expected to take part in the gathering are the Director General of Dubai Civil Defence, Major General Rashid Al Matrooshi; the Anti- Counterfeiting Operations Director at UL, Warren Macinnis; and the Executive Director of Conformity Scheme Services at Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, Abdulla Al Muaini.

The topics to be covered in the three sessions include; ‘Imitation and Piracy and their impact on the National Economy;’ ‘The Role of Customs in Protecting the Community;’ ‘A Safer Society Without Counterfeiting;’ and ‘Protecting the market from the Electronic Promotion of Counterfeiting Goods in Accordance with IP Rights’ and ‘Impact on Public Safety from Counterfeiting of Fire and Life Critical Products.’

RISING FRAUDULENCE

Al Obaidli said the conference comes at a time when there is “rising fraudulent activities worldwide and in light of the growing need to protect our communities from these threats.

 “This is the time to engage both the public and private sectors to meaningfully tackle counterfeiting and piracy as a major societal scourge that needs to be addressed quickly and efficiently.”

For his part, the General Secretary of the conference, Dr Abdel Rahman Al Obaidly,  said; “The UAE aims to be one of the world’s top countries in the IP protection sector by 2021. EIPA looks forward to collaborating with strategic partners and concerned entities to increase awareness and create a better understanding of IP—including activities like the signing of MoUs and participation in IP protection initiatives.

“ This move demonstrates the country’s steadfast commitment to combat IP-related crimes. The conference is a perfect opportunity to share how else we can better address the problem and contribute to ongoing international efforts.”

Dhahi Khalfan Intellectual Property Centre is an initiative that aims to train 5,000 people involved in intellectual property issues by the year 2021. It is the only entity specialised in training in all areas of intellectual property in the UAE.