The Federal Customs Authority (FCA) has launched in co-ordination with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the IPM Mobile" application on smart phones to combat counterfeiting and piracy, making the UAE world's first country to introduce the system.
The IPM Mobile is a new tool that enables the customs sector, especially inspectors, to capitalise on modern technology and applications in the field of combating counterfeiting and piracy of products. Through IPM Mobile, customs inspectors will be able to distinguish between original and counterfeited commodities through a mobile-enabled database including different products worldwide Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Acting Director General of FCA, said, thanked the WCO for selecting the UAE to implement the IPM Mobile system .
He added that the programme is launched on mobile phones as part of fulfilling the requirements of the smart government initiative announced last year by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Al Bustani also explained that the new programme doubles the UAE?s efforts to combat piracy and counterfeited goods, which will in turn contribute to improving the state?s image and position in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR). The new programme contributes to achievement of the FCA?s strategic objectives of protecting the security of society, facilitating trade, and bolstering cooperation with other countries worldwide.
Suoud Salem Al Agroobi, Director of the International Relations at the FCA, said: "The UAE will be the first country to apply the IPM programme on mobile phones and it will contribute to developing the programme before the official launch across the world in June 2014 on the sidelines of the WCO Customs Directors General meeting."
