Dubai - MENA Herald: The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the multinational luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) to collaborate on improving consumer awareness on counterfeiting and protecting consumers from counterfeit goods, especially those bearing the Louis Vuitton logo.
The two sides have agreed to work together on strengthening regulatory compliance and intellectual property (IP) protection, combatting commercial fraud, and protecting the rights of trademark owners thereby reinforcing economic activity in Dubai, and the UAE in general.
The MoU was signed by Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in DED, and Laurent Marcadier, Director, Assets & Persons Protection at the LVMH headquarters, in the presence of senior officials from both sides at the DED offices in the Business Village.
Commenting on the partnership, Lootah said its focus is on the importance of minimising counterfeiting and protecting IP rights of the owners of the major brands present in Dubai. “We will work hand in hand with all competent bodies in the government and private sectors, drawing on the relevant federal and international laws against counterfeiting and with the objective of eliminating all phenomena that adversely affect the integrity of retailing in Dubai.”
A series of awareness campaigns would be launched under the MoU to educate consumers on the dangers posed by counterfeit goods. “We will also organise training programmes for our field staff tasked with ensuring commercial control and IP protection. Such partnerships with brand owners and joint training programmes improve the performance of our field staff and help them detect trademark violations easily,” Lootah said.
Lootah said that the agreement is in line with Dubai’s economic strategy of enhancing public-private partnerships, adding that a competitive IP protection environment will further drive commercial traffic to Dubai and enhance the UAE’s global ranking as a competitive business destination.
