JEDDAH, 30 July — Forty percent of all consumer goods in the local market are counterfeit and carry fake trademarks, according to a top Commerce Ministry official.
Muhammad ibn Atiq Al-Harbi, general manager of the Jeddah branch of the ministry, said: “The multiplicity of counterfeit goods has become a serious problem in Saudi Arabia because the national economy is damaged, consumers are endangered and investors are confused and discouraged.”
According to Al-Harbi, who is the official in charge of combating the scourge in the Western Province, counterfeiting should be treated as a serious crime that harms the consumer, the trader and society at large.
Saudi Arabia enacted a law against counterfeiting nearly two decades ago. The law classifies any consumer product as counterfeit when its style, type, components, origin and other features do not conform to approved standards and specifications as well as weight, size and quantity.
Products bearing trademarks falsified by manufacturers and not registered with the Ministry of Commerce are also treated as fake.
The Commerce Ministry has set up an independent department to monitor, inspect and confiscate such products in the market. The department is also authorized to propose punishments for violators after specialized committees study individual cases.
“Cooperation between responsible authorities, citizens and businesses will have a positive impact on curbing the trade in counterfeit products in Saudi Arabia,” said Al-Harbi.
“Citizens play an important role in this process,” he said, urging consumers to inform the authorities if they find fake products in the market.
The manufacturers also have the responsibility to protect their trademark products by taking a stand against infringement by cooperating with the authorities, Al-Harbi said.
