Twenty-two Arab countries have so far agreed to take part in the 3rd Arab forum on combating commercial fraud, counterfeiting and protection of intellectual property rights scheduled for March 3, in Riyadh.
The three-day forum will be held under the auspices of the Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf, according to Saudi Customs officials who were quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.
The Director General of the Customs Department Salih Al-Khilaiwi said the forum will be addressed by a selected group of experts who will explore the phenomenon of commercial fraud and counterfeiting starting from the country of origin, the international carriers to the country of consumers.
He said the experts, drawn from the private sector, civil community organizations and consumer protection societies in Arab countries, will also review key local, regional and international developments related to commercial fraud and counterfeiting.
They will look into the possibility of conducting an all-out assessment on legislations and regulations related to this issue, the creation of an effective partnership between public and private sectors, communal organizations and media on finding ways to combat the phenomenon and minimize its adverse effects on the society, he said.
The phenomenon of commercial fraud and counterfeiting poses threats to consumers, trade mark owners and other parties, in addition to its negative impact on foreign investments and spending on research and creativity, he noted.
He said Arab countries, notably the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, represent a fertile ground for the spread of counterfeit and adulterated goods as 90 percent of such goods are imported from foreign countries, which make it attractive to this type of business but remain detrimental to commercial credibility.
The Saudi Customs chief said the forum comes to demonstrate keenness of the Kingdom on the continuation of concerted efforts at local, regional and global levels in the fight against commercial fraud, counterfeit and violation of intellectual property rights for the communal safety and protection of national and international economies.
Last month, the Customs Department announced counterfeit adulterated goods worth SR 763 million were seized in 2012, an increase of 65.2 percent compared to the number of goods seized in the previous year.
