Dubai conference: digital tools make it difficult to combat IP crimes

The development of digital tools makes it increasingly difficult to combat intellectual property (IP) crime, according to testimony in Dubai at the 12th Regional IP Crime Conference for the Middle East and North Africa.

The conference featured speeches by key authorities who shared the most recent advancements in the IP sector. It was organized by Dubai Police in collaboration with Interpol and many UAE government ministries. The conference's subject for this year, which was "Building Capabilities to Drive IP Leadership," was presented at Mohammed bin Rashid Library.

According to Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, the chairman of the board of directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation, crimes against intellectual property pose a serious threat to the economy and society at large in addition to the creative efforts and financial success of individuals and businesses. In addition, he noted that intellectual property crimes present a significant problem in view of the world's fast digital transition, particularly in the literary and artistic sectors. In accordance with the expanding usage of the internet and new digital applications, conference participants urged combining efforts and developing international laws to defend IP rights in all industries.

Deputy Chairman of Dubai's Police and General Security and Honorary President of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, stated during the opening ceremony that the Association, through the Dahi Khalfan Centre for Intellectual Property, had collaborated with partners to launch several qualification programs, academic and professional training workshops, and workshops to increase the capacity of cadres working in the government.

The strength and strictness of the laws that a nation passes to protect others' rights and their works in a variety of fields, including intellectual, commercial, industrial, and others, he said, is one of the most crucial indicators of the success of that nation's industrial renaissance and economic growth and development.

He stated that the UAE has achieved tremendous achievements in the sphere of safeguarding rights, ideas, innovations and trademarks, via the passage of strong rules and legislations that criminalize the violation of the IP.