Ministry of Economy to launch national campaign for intellectual property rights

The Ministry of Economy plans to launch next week a national campaign to uphold and protect intellectual property rights with the participation of many stakeholders and institutions in the public and private sectors.

The two-week campaign, to be held under the patronage of Minister of Economy HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, comes within the framework of the ministry's efforts to consolidate the concept of intellectual property protection, raise public awareness of its importance and to emphasise the impact and its implications on the national economy.

The MoE will hold a press conference next Tuesday to announce the official launch of the national campaign, the first of its kind in the UAE and the region. The minister will attend the launching ceremony.

The campaign will see diverse events and activities that serve the campaign and contribute to achieving its goals and objectives.

A symposium to be held as part of the campaign will highlight the national legislation pertaining to intellectual property rights and its implementation by the Ministry of the economy.

UAE has joined the Convention of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the organization responsible for the support and protection of intellectual property rights throughout the world, providing support and consultancy in the field of intellectual property for governments.

HE Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Director General of the Ministry of Economy said that the national campaign is one of the major initiatives of the strategic plan of the Ministry of Economy to act to prevent unfair trade practices and protect consumer rights and in light of the implementation of the strategy of the federal government.

He also said that the campaign is aimed at raising awareness among various segments of society, the concept of intellectual property rights, as well as about the importance of the concerted efforts of citizens and residents to fight against counterfeit and pirated goods that have negative impacts on the health and safety of individuals in any society.

The campaign will focus on the definition of federal laws applicable in the UAE and the international conventions and treaties in force in the country.