18th Jan 2008
By Cleofe Maceda
Dubai: Brand owners on Wednesday called for higher penalties against counterfeiters, as the trade in fake goods has reached an alarming state.
A KPMG study revealed that the value of fake products in the UAE reached $670 million to $696 million in 2006, with auto parts high on the list.
"That figure is alarming for one year, considering that it's a loss of revenue to the treasury," Brand Owners' Protection Group (BPG) chairman Omar Shteiwi told Gulf News.
Shteiwi said Jebel Ali is considered the major transhipment point of imported counterfeit goods in the UAE, as most fake products were intercepted at the port and free zone.
He said fake products were sourced from various countries, but mainly from China, Singapore, Malaysia and India.
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Trade/10182773.html
