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EIPA and Interpol organise seventh annual IP crime conference

EIPA and Interpol organise seventh annual IP crime conference

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Emirates Intellectual Property Association in cooperation with Interpol, rolled out the 7th Regional Intellectual Property, IP, Crime Conference in Middle East and North Africa.

The Emirates Intellectual Property Association, EIPA in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, the world’s largest international police organisation, successfully kicked off the 7th Regional Intellectual Property, IP, Crime Conference in Middle East and North Africa.

The event is being held under the patronage and the presence of Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and Public Security in Dubai and Honorary President, EIPA. The conference will feature the participation of senior government officials, experts and decision makers and law enforcement professionals, gathering together to take part in discussions and activities aimed at exploring key ways on how to address the challenges brought about by IP crimes.

The 7th Regional Intellectual Property, IP, Crime Conference in Middle East and North Africa is also being organised in collaboration with Dubai Police, Dubai Customs, Institute of Training and Judicial Studies, the Brand Owners’ Protection Group, and UL, a global independent safety science company, all joining together in support of the country’s continuing efforts to protect IP rights and to promote a culture of IP in the region.

During his opening speech at the event, Major General Dr Abdel Quduos Alobaidli, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Quality and Excellence, Dubai Police and Chairman of EIPA, emphasised on the importance of international cooperation among all agencies and authorities involved in the battle against IP crimes in the UAE and the MENA region.

He also threw the spotlight on the successful experiences of the UAE in addressing IP violations and crimes, falling in line with the directives of His Highness HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to develop and implement strategic policies covering intellectual property rights, which is seen as an important factor in the moves to drive in more economic growth and promote innovation and creativity as part of UAE Vision 2021.

Other opening speeches were given by Colonel Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al Mualla, Director General of Total Quality Control, Dubai Police and His Excellency HE Abdul Aziz Obaidullah, Head of the NCB Coordination for MENA, Interpol.

Obaidullah expressed gratitude to the UAE authorities, headed by the Ministry of the Interior, the Dubai Police General Headquarters and the Emirates Intellectual Property Association EIPA, for their continuous efforts in supporting regional and international cooperation.

The first panel for the event, International cooperation to fight against counterfeiting, was led by HE Sir Ronald Flanagan, Former HMIC and Chief Constable, Police Service of Northern Ireland and Royal Ulster Constabulary RUC. He was joined by Françoise Dorcier, Coordinator of Interpol’s Illicit Goods and Global Health Programme; Stephanie Leguay, Coordinator, National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee of INPI in France; and Yousef Ozair, Director of Intellectual Property Rights Department IPR, Dubai Customs.

The session ended with a speech given by Richard Yung, Member of the Senate of France, who stressed on the significance of reinforcing international cooperation, which is an initial step in ensuring the success of combating counterfeiting activities.

The second panel, Rule of law indicator from the perspective of intellectual property, was led by a panel of international experts, which included Huda Barakat, Chair of the Middle East Advisory Council of the International Trademark Association; Dr Mohammed Al Kamali, Director General, Institute of Training and Judicial Studies; Jassem Saif, Head of the Judicial Inspection Department, Minister of Justice; and Hassan Arab, Co-Head of Litigation, Partner, Deputy Managing Partner, Al Tamimi and Company Law Firm.

The third panel, entitled Counterfeiting- Danger for the Health and Safety of Consumers, featured the participation of Françoise Dorcier, Coordinator of Interpol’s Illicit Goods and Global Health Programme; Anais Eiden, Group Senior Legal Manager Intellectual Property, Research and Development for Vallourec Group; Captain Omer Hassan, Head of Commercial Fraud and Piracy Department, Dubai Police; Dr. Mudather Abdulla, Legal Counsel at Sharjah Economic Department, and Erik Liegee, Head of Forensics, Group Security, Volkswagen Group.

The first day of the event concluded with the fourth panel discussion, New technology and the challenges of intellectual property protection, which featured the participation of Erik Madsen, Senior Investigations Manager Europe, ME and Africa Underwriters Laboratories UL, Denmark; Yuichi Mizue, Managing Director, Koyo ME; and Dr. Abdulla Qasim, Consultant Neurosurgeon at Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority.

Meanwhile, Interpol workshops will also be held throughout the second day as well. The sessions include International College of Intellectual Property Crime Investigators: Prospects for capacity building; followed by a session on how to achieve positive field results in anti-counterfeiting and a concluding session entitled Current Challenges: How do criminals use the internet to promote fake goods.

Emirates Intellectual Property Association in cooperation with Interpol, rolled out the 7th Regional Intellectual Property, IP, Crime Conference in Middle East and North Africa.
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