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Meet The Authorities – Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD)
June 10, 2024

Gulf BPG hosted its 3rd “Meet the Authority” session, beginning with Chairman Malek Hannouf welcoming Mr. Ali Fadel Almahdi, Head of the Commercial Protection Section at the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD). Mr. Almahdi thanked Gulf BPG for the opportunity and ongoing support before diving into his presentation.
Mr. Ali Fadel outlined the fully digitalized administrative procedures and explained the complaint processing and inspection protocols. Mr. Almahdi discussed how inspections are conducted, including procedures when a warehouse is open or closed, and noted their cooperation with Sharjah police if a warehouse is closed during an inspection. He also covered the essential characteristics required of inspectors, the sizing procedures, and the details documented in inspection reports, concluding with an overview of how actions are taken based on findings.
The session included a Q&A segment, where participants raised topics such as penalties for counterfeiters and strategies to enhance deterrence against repeat offenses. Discussions also touched on the recycling of seized products and the transfer of destruction procedures to Beeah for environmentally responsible disposal.
Recommendations were made regarding the storage of seized products, suggesting secure storage options at third-party premises, or expanded storage solutions through additional fees at SHJ DED facilities.
The discussion covered proactive and random seizures, as well as urgent requests for sizing (one-day cases), highlighting the challenges encountered in these areas and best practices like simplified procedures in other countries which reduces the long storage period.
Malek Hannouf concluded the meeting by inquiring how the private sector could support the departments in achieving their full potential. Mr. Ali Fadel emphasized the importance of ongoing training programs for inspectors and suggested creating concise manuals for each brand to help distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products.
Malek Hannouf expressed his gratitude to Mr. Ali Fadel Almahdi for his thorough presentation and for the department’s efforts in protecting IP rights. He also thanked all attendees for their active participation in the session.