The Ajman Police, on Friday, seized large quantities of fake goods which came in brand names known locally and internationally. The goods included spare parts worth Dh10 million. A top official at the Ajman Police said the police received information about the fake goods stored in a warehouse in the industrial area. The police formed a team to observe the premises and to gather information about the illegal movement in the premises. Following intensive investigation, the police raided the warehouses and seized the fake goods, tools used for packing and print tags that carry the brand logos. Yahya Al Raysa, Director-General of Ajman Municipality said the municipality is taking stringent action against counterfeit activities that affect consumers as well as companies. The inspection campaign against fake products has been intensified since the year began. The campaign focuses on commercial outlets and warehouses in the Ajman Industrial Area. Several of them were shut down after surprise inspections.
Counterfeit products worth Dh1 million were seized and destroyed by inspectors. These included shoes of various brands and 26,195 mobile phone chargers purportedly of Sony Ericsson. The municipality responds immediately when it gets complaints about counterfeit items through its hotline, he said. “Fines ranging from Dh10,000 to Dh100,000 are slapped on violating traders found displaying counterfeit products. We are totally against commercial fraud as it adversely affects the reputation of the emirate and we will continue our market inspections to ensure it is free of duplicate products,” said Al Raysa.
“The civic body recently received appreciation letters from renowned international brands such as Sony Ericsson, Adidas and Reebok, thanking us for our efforts in confiscating the duplicate products,” he added. Samples of the seized products were tested by the municipality, which confirmed that they were not original and were duplicated by a non-registered company in Ajman’s new industrial area. “If we receive any complaints from consumers or traders regarding trademark infringement, we send the original products and the fake materials to the laboratory for testing. If the laboratory confirms that the products are not real, we take stringent measures against those who imitate these products such as imposing fines of up to Dh50,000 and shuts the establishment down,” he said. “Consumers should also be wary of buying products from shady dealers and should invest in good brands for their own health and safety,” he stressed. – Khaleej Times
