Meetings began yesterday in Dubai in a seminar specialized in industrial property protection that is being organized by Infocenter International.
Sources from Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP), which is the pioneering company in this field in the Arab region, said that the two-day seminar will discuss topics related to industrial property and intellectual property (IP) protection, such as the issue of copyrights and publishing infringement, and the privileges and effects of the implementation of new laws in the various countries of the region.
Nations of the Arab Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have released in the past few years laws and systems to protect industrial property, intellectual property and patents, to confront the waves of imitated goods that are overwhelming the area from Southeast Asia. Further, there are literary and artistic works, as many Arab authors and artists are facing an organized assault on their works which are being reprinted and sold for the profit of the printing entities, without any benefit for the original creators of the work.
According to the same sources, this seminar is one of the largest and most important in this field that is being convened within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Participating in this seminar will be various GCC experts, experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), representatives of the Ministry of Media and Culture in the UAE and the US Consul General. Further, there will be a large number of specialists from large global corporations such as Glaxo, Mercedes Benz, Price Waterhouse and Clifford Chance, which is assisting Infocenter International in organizing this seminar. A significant number of interested parties and experts from Middle Eastern countries will attend as well.
Representing AGIP at this event is Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International (TAGI). AGIP is a subdivision of TAGI, and operates in 34 offices throughout the Arab world.
Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh represents the Arab region in the field of IP protection at the UN, via WIPO, since he is Chairman of the Arab Society for the Protection of Industrial Property. He contributed in offering consultations and the preparation of laws and legislations specific to organizing industrial and intellectual property protection for numerous Arab countries such as the UAE, Yemen and the Sultanate of Oman. Also, AGIP, which Abu-Ghazaleh chairs, presents training and consultation to the UAE government in the field of implementing laws and legislations specific to industrial and intellectual property.