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Fake construction tools seized in UAE

by Sarah Blackman on Jan 17, 2010

5 Comments

Dubai Department of Economic Development has clamped down on sellers of counterfeit products.

Fourteen thousand counterfeit construction tools have been found in the UAE, after a warehouse and shop of an unknown trader was raided at the end of last month, ConstructionWeekOnline has learned.

The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) seized the goods, including levels, snip cutters, chisels and measuring tapes from a distributor of fake Stanley products.

Speaking to ConstructionWeekOnline, Rami Abdallah, consultant for Saba and Company, a law firm specialised in registration maintenance and prosecution of all types of intellectual property rights said: “The Stanley Works Company is one of our long standing clients and they have been actively engaged in taking steps to secure their rights in all their trademarks including their famous trademark Stanley, which is used mainly on products relating to construction work.”

“Stanley Works Company became aware of the said distributor through information revealed during one of our regular market surveys during which the markets are scanned for traders dealing with suspected counterfeit Stanley products.”

The Stanley Works Company, in cooperation with Saba, has been looking out for traders that sell counterfeits in MENA for some time and several raids have been carried out as a result.

After the latest raid, the DED took the decision to fine the trader and destroy all seized goods this week.

FEATURED COMMENT

Jim & Kazi, your views are noted. True, some companies do put a lot of hard work in developing a product which is then m

5 Comments

Readers' Comments

Joe (Jan 18, 2010)
Dubai
Uzbekistan

Fake construction tools seized in UAE
Jim & Kazi, your views are noted. True, some companies do put a lot of hard work in developing a product which is then manufactured in China or India etc, at a very low cost - lots of them in sweat shops as they call them. Developing or inventing something does not entitle you the rights of slavery. If there was a fair practice or as they call them Manufactured under Ethical Practice etc, the question of Fakes would not arise. And good ideas are not always developed by the Brand owner etc. One most notable example - The original Barbie Doll was made at home in Germany by a couple. The idea or design was stolen by Americans and Patented etc, and the original developers of Barbie died in poverty. This is a fact.

mahmoud (Jan 18, 2010)
dubai
United Arab Emirates

construction tools
it's a very good subject to investigate since it highly effects the quality of the job in addition to cost

Khozema Kazi (Jan 17, 2010)
Dubai
United Arab Emirates

Fake construction tools seized in UAE
Replying to Joe - 'What is fake'. Fake is crude COPY of an Original product, which was invented, manufactured under strict quality guidelines, marketed with care and created customer loyalty by after sales services, in short it had set standard for the product. This is how BRANDS are made. Then when they are widely bought by customers under certain identity, i.e. Brand name or Visual pattern, the copycats come-in to make quick buck by making similar product less the quality or love gone into its creation. Irrespective of which part of the world they are made, the Inventor ensures the same quality to continue to earn customer trust. Stanley is a 166 years old company. The Brand is recognized globally by its name logo in Yellow & black color. Destroying 'fake' in the market is same as destroying pirated videos or audios. Those who make counterfeit products or who encourage are those who are not creative, do not want to work hard and are intellectual thieves. This is what has resulted in 'Patent Laws' in all countries around the world.

Jim (Jan 17, 2010) United Arab Emirates

Fake construction tools seized in UAE
Hahahaha... Mr Joe! Companies like Stanley go to a lot of effort to market their goods; this marketing reassures the consumer that the product does what it is supposed to do and if not, it can be replaced. That is what the consumer pays for. Counterfeit products ruin the reputation of legitimate products and ride off the back of well known brands who have done all the hard work. If a company wishes to establish itself in the market then let them do the work, that's to say if it actually works! Destroying the products is a lesson, it shows that Dubai is serious about maintaining a level of workmanship and that intellectual property is kept with the manufacturer. I hope to see more of this carried out.

Joe (Jan 17, 2010)
Dubai
Uzbekistan

Fake construction tools seized in UAE
What is exactly fake? Most of the tool supply companies, e.g. Stanley etc, do not make the tools themselves. Majority of these are made by factories in China or India at very low cost. Once the Brand Label is put on, the price is hiked by 50 to 100 times perhaps, and sold as a so called Branded item or a Designer Item for clothes. Where is Ethics of this practice? This unfair pricing is the cause of the so called Fake or Counterfeit goods - which are perhaps made by the same factories and sold in bulk. Destroying a load or two of such items does not solve the problem. If you close one door, another door is opened somewhere else. This is a simple survival instinct - nothing new, has been practised ever since the beginning of life. So destroy as many truck loads as you please, this does not achieve anything.

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