Dubai Customs IPR Award Contest launched
Mr. Yousuf Ozair Senior Manager Intellectual Property Rights Department at Dubai Customs announced the launching of Dubai Customs IPR Award Contest in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Dubai. This was announced during the press conference held Wednesday 4th of February 2009 at Customs main building with the participation of Mr. Ahmad Abd Alrahman Director of student activities in the Ministry of Education and attended by a number of senior officials from both organizations and representatives of the schools that participates in the contest with a large gathering of reporters and different mass media correspondents.
A number of government schools in UAE are set to take part in the contest. Each school would be delivering an IPR project the choose. Dubai Customs would provide a subsidy of AED 6000 to each school to help them in preparing their projects in a full-fledged format. At the end of the contest the results would be announced in the 2nd quarter of 2009, 3 schools will be selected as winners of the top 3 projects.
“This contest comes as part of Dubai Customs belief in the importance of raising comprehensive awareness at all levels particularly the educational one; seeking to protect the intellectual property rights since such protection plays a major role in supporting and enhancing the legitimate trade in the country in particular and worldwide in general”, said Mr. Yousuf Ozair .
Stressing in his speech the role of school students, Mr. Yousuf Ozair also added that “students are the leaders of the future who would maintain Dubai’s current welfare and prosperity and strive for more progress and development in the upcoming days. For this reason, the contest gains a further importance being an educational means inciting students to think creatively in a manner achieving the conteKst goal.”
From his part, Mr. Ahmad Abd Alrahman was delighted by the cooperation with Dubai Customs in making the contest, a leader of its kind in the country, successful. He went on to underline Dubai Customs key role in supporting and enhancing comprehensive and sustainable development in Dubai including the intellectual development, which broadens students perceptions and develops the stamina of scientific research among them as to serve the country’s progress and welfare.
The press conference was followed by a workshop involving representatives from the IPR Department at Dubai Customs, Ministry of Education and the participating schools. A comprehensive explanation about Dubai Customs role in protecting intellectual property rights, combating fraud and counterfeiting, harms of counterfeited products to the environment and public health and how unique brand can be distinguished from counterfeited ones, as well as recognizing problems and difficulties facing inspectors and other respective officers in profiling counterfeited products and their negative impact on international trade movement and the national economy was delivered. A detailed brief, which assisted with creating an atmosphere of acceptance and deep understanding of Dubai Customs key role in enhancing legitimate trade in the world, was also delivered covering the nature of the contest, its objectives and entry procedures.
The IPR Department at Dubai Customs, the first of its kind in the Middle East, was established in 2005 as an independent business unit coping with the country’s policies and in pursuance to the international agreements and conventions to which UAE is committed as well as to underline the country’s desire in safeguarding investors and manufacturers commercial and industrial property rights and protecting consumers against all forms of fraudulence and exploitation that aim at rapid and illegitimate earnings regardless to human health and security.
Last February Dubai Customs hosted the 4th Global Conference on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy. The Conference was concluded by “Dubai Declaration”, which provides for a set of important initiatives and recommendations on combating counterfeiting and piracy and risks thereof to people health and the security of societies and world economy.
