As of February 2011, Sharjah Department of Economic Development
("SDED") has established a new Intellectual Property
Rights Protection Department ("IPRD") in a show of
commitment to the enforcement of IP rights in Sharjah in a more
organised and streamlined manner.
Sharjah is one of the seven emirates forming the federation of the
United Arab Emirates and its Department of Economic Development is
the governmental authority charged with powers of enforcement of IP
rights.
Previously, complainants seeking to file complaints against IP
infringements had to pursue their complaints through the Complaints
and Dispute section, a part of the Legal Affairs department of the
SDED, and raids would be conducted through them. The creation of
the IPRD means that complainants can now route their complaints
directly to the IPRD, which acts as a one stop shop for conducting
raid action against infringers in the emirate of Sharjah.
This important development is a boon to trademark proprietors in
the combat against counterfeits as it demonstrates a consolidated
and focused approach taken by the UAE government at the emirate
level to win the war against IP infringements. With the IPRD
entrenched as part of the government's artillery in IP
enforcement, it is expected that it will provide a platform for the
launch of public awareness programs on IP rights and its
enforcement as well for facilitating engagement with other public
authorities such as the Police as well as the private sector.
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