Gulf BPG

Gulf BPG Ramadan Suhoor: A Night of Insights and Connections
2024-04-03 | Jumeirah Beach Hotel – The Ramadan Garden
Gulf BPG in the presence of HE. Major General Abdul Quddus Al Obaidli, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Excellence and Leadership Affairs in the Dubai Police General Command, hosted a memorable Ramadan Suhoor for its members and esteemed guests from private and government IP associations. Guests enjoyed traditional cuisine, participated in dynamic discussions, and fostered genuine connections, making the evening truly unforgettable.

Gulf BPG attend RAK DED Ramadan Majlis
2024-04-01
Mr. Hussam Abu Hamdeh, Vice Chairman of Gulf BPG, participated in the RAK DED Ramadan Majlis themed “Consumer Culture in Ramadan,” alongside notable figures such as Dr. Suhail Al Bastaki, Director of the Happiness and Marketing Department at Union Coop, and Dr. Mahra Al Malek, a family and social Counselor attended this session. Various topics were covered during the discussion, including appropriate shopping practices during Ramadan, the influence of mental health on consumer behaviour, the role of customs and traditions in shaping consumer behaviour, and the importance of protecting intellectual property and trademarks.

Gulf BPG celebrates Mother's Day
2024-03-23 | Senses Center, Dubai, UAE

Gulf BPG attends Dubai Customs Ramadan Suhoor Gathering
2024-03-19 | Al Ras Hall 1 – Intercontinental Hotel, Festival City
Gulf BPG delegate attended the Ramadan Suhoor Gathering hosted by Dubai Customs, in the presence of H.E Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Busnad, Director General of Dubai Customs. During the event, Yousef Al-Hashimi, Acting Executive Director of the Customer Management Division, highlighted Dubai Customs’ commitment to enhancing customer satisfaction through continuous improvements in customs services, aligning with sustainable economic development goals. Additionally, Sheikh Mohammed Eid Al Muhairi from the Dubai Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department delivered a talk on happiness as part of the Suhoor event.

3rd Training Session for Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development - Online
2024-03-18 | Online
Participated Brands: Samsung Electronics and P&G.

2nd Training Session for Abu Dhabi Customs - Online
2024-03-12 | Online
Participated Brands: Beiersdorf Middle East and Ferrero.

Workshop No.113 for Dubai Customs - Online
2024-03-07 | Online
Participated Brand: Philip Morris Management Services Middle East Ltd.

1st IP Webinar 2024 - Greenwashing & IP Sustainability
2024-03-07
Gulf BPG organized the first IP webinar for 2024 under the title Greenwashing & IP Sustainability, in collaboration with AIPPI-UAE, the French Embassy, INPI, EIPA, the Ministry of Economy, and CEIPI – the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies.
Omar Obeidat, Gulf BPG board member and Partner at Al Tamimi & Co, moderated this session and started by extending a warm welcome to all participants and expressing enthusiasm for the engaging and challenging topic at hand. Dr. Jinane Kabbara, Regional IP Counsellor at INPI, Embassy of France, began the session with gratitude towards attendees, speakers, and organizers, emphasizing the significance of these webinars in bringing forth vital IP discussions. Subsequently, Omar Obeidate handed over the platform to Professor Yann Basire, Director General of CEIPI, who delivered a presentation on Trademark law and sustainable development. He showcased cases related to Greenwashing in the EU and highlighted key legal articles addressing this issue.
Transitioning from the presentation, Bassel El Turk, Vice President of AIPPI -UAE, initiated a discussion on IP & Greenwashing: Challenges & Opportunities in the UAE, leading to a suggestion to join efforts and prepare a case to test how current laws and regulations will tackle this issue in UAE.
Omar Obeidat wrapped up the session by expressing gratitude to all participants. The webinar concluded on a high note, marked by its notable turnout and success.

Gulf BPG organizes F2F workshop for Northern UAE authorities
2024-03-06 | Rixos Bab Al Bahr – RAK
Gulf BPG organized a face-to-face workshop in collaboration with Northern UAE Authorities, including RAK, Ajman, and Umm Al Quwain. The event started with a warm welcome from Malek Hannouf, Gulf BPG Chairman, followed by a presentation on IP fundamentals, counterfeiting, and significant threats to brands and consumers. The presentation covered a spectrum of topics:
• Trademarks: Types and effects of infringement of intellectual property rights.
• Unfair competition
• Smuggling.
• Parallel import and its impact on local trade and revenues.
• Judicial rulings from around the world and cooperation of authorities between countries.
Following the informative sessions, delegates were encouraged to form small groups and explore the interactive stands set up by Brand Owners. In this rotation, brand owners actively demonstrated how to practically distinguish genuine from counterfeit products.
Participating Brands: LV, RIMOWA, Apple, Essilor Luxottica, Beiersdorf, Mobis Parts Middle East FZE, Unilever, JTI, Ferrero, Kenvue, Bulgari, WD-40, Gant, Lacoste and Ecyclex.

The first Middle East Fashion Law Forum: Fashioning the Future
2024-02-29 | Intercontinental Hotel Festival City
In cooperation with Brand Owners Protection Group and AIPPI -UAE, Sader Legal organized the first Middle East Fashion Law Forum: Fashioning the Future, which took place on the 29th of February 2024 at the Intercontinental Hotel Festival City.
Malek HANNOUF, Gulf BPG’s Chairman, delivered a keynote speech during which he highlighted the importance of the vertical knowledge and the need to have accessible and reliable data in the fashion industry. Mrs Hoda Barakat, President of AIPPI UAE, skilfully moderated a panel featuring both in-person and virtual speakers from France and USA tackling the topic of fashion laws and data.
This forum featured speakers from the IP community such as Ramzi Modad – General Counsel for the Family Office of Chalhoub Group, Amira Fayad, CIPP/E, CIPM – In-house counsel for Seddiqi Holding, Nicole Giblin, a Board Member of AIPPI UAE, Ghada Qaisi Audi – Co-founder of TARO ISHIDA luxury women’s footwear brand, and Christine Blaise-Engel Co-chair of the IBA Fashion and Luxury conference 2024.
The forum tackled important topics such as exhaustion of rights, brand protection, parallel importation and resale, brand awareness and marketing strategy and finally the importance of IP education.
Rany Sader, Chief Legal Officer at Sader Legal, wrapped up the forum by expressing gratitude to the audience, speakers, and the support received from Gulf BPG and AIPPI UAE.
The forum was a great success. Welcome Fashion Law Arabia!

USJ Dubai Seminar on the latest amendments to the UAE Civil Procedure Law
2024-02-27 | Ritz Carlton DIFC
Gulf BPG delegate attended a seminar on “Recent Amendments to the UAE Civil Procedures Law: An Additional Step Towards Enabling Justice” organized by Saint Joseph University Dubai’s School of Law at the Ritz Carlton DIFC on February 27, 2024.
The seminar commenced with an opening speech by Professor Nisrine Abiad, Director of Research at USJ Dubai and featured in-depth discussions on Federal Decree-Law 42/2022, with distinguished panellists Dr. Habib Al Mulla, the founding partner at Habib Al Mulla & Partners, Judge Ayoub Al Ahli, the president of the Tribunal of Commerce in Dubai Courts, Professor Fayez Hage-Chahine, the founding partner at Hage-Chahine law firm, and Dr. Ahmed Hijal, a faculty member at USJ Dubai and partner at United Counsels and moderated by Professor Nassib Ziade, who is an international arbitrator and judge at the International Monetary Fund.

Gulf BPG attends INTA Policy Dialogue on GIs
2024-02-22 | DIFC Innovation Hub
Gulf BPG delegate attended the INTA Policy Dialogue on Geographical Indications (GIs) held in the UAE. This dialogue, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focused on addressing the UAE’s engagement with Geographical Indications (GIs) and facilitating the exchange of insights and best practices among stakeholders, including owners and intellectual property (IP) experts from various regions.

The 13th Regional IP Crime Conference for the Middle East
2024-02-20 - 2024-02-21 | Palazzo Versace Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The 13th Regional IP Crime Conference for the Middle East took place on the 20th and 21st of February 2024 under the patronage of H.E Lt.General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai’s Deputy Chief of Police and General Security. Dubai Police, EIPA and Interpol co-hosted this conference in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy, Dubai Customs, Dahi Khalfan IP center, the Brand Owners Protection Group (Gulf BPG) and SAM IP. The conference theme was “Unlocking the Future”.
Gulf BPG actively participated in the conference, delivering an engaging session on the first day titled “Data Analytics: How to deal with the data ”. Malek Hannouf, Chairman of Gulf BPG, was awarded by His Excellency Major General Abdulqudus Al Obeidli, Assistant General Commander of Dubai Police, for being a valuable strategic partner.
Malek Hannouf participated as well in one of the focus groups/roundtables discussions about “Building a transnational enforcement case”.
The conference started on the second day with reflection on the first day’s topics and a debrief from the focus groups on the recommendations that came out from their sessions, where Malek Hannouf
Highlighted the following recommendations from his workshop:

Cooperation between government and private sectors to target illicit activities based on various criteria.
Suggested partnerships with social media and commercial platforms for data analysis.
Proposed collaboration with international police agencies, particularly Interpol.
Emphasized the need to raise awareness about global intellectual property infringement issues and the importance of international cooperation.

Furthermore, The Brand Owners Protection Group hosted a booth facilitating interactive discussions and meetings.

2nd Online Training Session for AD DED Inspectors
2024-02-19
Brands: Unilever & Mobis Parts Middle East FZE

Workshop No.111 for Dubai Customs - Online
2024-02-16
Participated Brands: Longchamp, Tory Burch, Tiffany and CO and NIVEA – Beiersdorf Middle East FZCO.

1st Training Session for Abu Dhabi Customs - Online
2024-02-13
Participated Brands: LV and Rimowa.

Gulf BPG attends launching the new intellectual property system by the Ministry of Economy
2024-02-07 | DIFC – Waldorf Astoria, United Arab Emirates
The Ministry of Economy has introduced a new intellectual property (IP) system with 11 initiatives to boost innovation and creativity. These initiatives provide a competitive environment for inventors and creators to turn their ideas into business opportunities. The launch event, attended by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, and H.E. Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry, and brought together representatives from various government bodies and academic institutions.

Gulf BPG joins MoE delegate to Paris
2024-01-31 | Paris, France
Gulf BPG board member Rima El Achkar recently accompanied a delegation from the Ministry of Economy, led by H.E. Dr. Abdelrahman Al Muaini, the Assistant Undersecretary for Intellectual Property, to UNIFAB in Paris, France. The delegation included representatives from various institutions and organizations, aiming to foster collaboration between French companies and the Ministry.
The following day, the delegation visited the Center of International IP Studies (CEIPI) in Strasbourg, France, and the National Institute of IP (INPI). They aimed to explore potential future collaborations centered around intellectual property courses and seminars involving the Ministry and Gulf BPG.

Gulf BPG Participates in the Ninth Dubai Customs Week – “Digital Empowerment towards Meaningful and Effective Partnerships”
2024-01-25
Gulf BPG Chairman Malek Hannouf participated in a workshop organized by Dubai Customs in collaboration with Dubai Airports. The event included strategic partners such as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, Dubai Police, and Customs.
This workshop comes as one of the activities organized in line with the Ninth Dubai Customs Week which was launched on 22nd January 2024, and was held under the slogan “Digital Empowerment towards Meaningful and Effective Partnerships”.
Dubai Customs stated in a statement issued that the slogan of the week emphasizes the importance of developing and enriching meaningful partnerships, and the importance of establishing new alliances to achieve the goal of trade facilitation, border security, and the flexibility of global supply chains.
Malek Hannouf delivered a presentation on the Gulf BPG Journey since 2005, highlighting the collaboration with Dubai Customs as a strategic partner. He proceeded to discuss trademark definitions and their significance for businesses. Hannouf also touched upon various types of infringements and the global scale of illicit trade. The presentation continued with an exploration of the consequences of trademark infringement on economies, consumers, and society, supported by examples of relevant cases. The talk concluded with a discussion on AI-related cases and challenges and a thank you note for Dubai Customs’ continuous efforts in protecting the borders.

1st Training session for Dubai Customs
2024-01-25
Brands: LV, RIMOWA, DANFOSS, PUMA, FERRERO & P&G

Gulf BPG Annual General Meeting 2024
2024-01-24
The Annual General Meeting of Gulf BPG was convened at Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City. This gathering held significant importance as it included the election of the new board. Malek Hannouf, Chairman of Gulf BPG, along with board members, conducted a comprehensive review of activities, challenges, and achievements in 2023. Additionally, they engaged in discussions about the strategic plans for 2024, making the meeting highly interactive.
The announcement was made regarding the composition of the new board, which includes:

9 brand owners : LV, Beiersdorf , Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Jonson & Jonson, Puma, Danfoss, Nissan and Ferrero.
3 Service Providers : Al Tamimi & Co , Rouse & Co. and Osha BWB OP.

Alongside the General Assembly, Gulf BPG hosted a small exhibition featuring Tech and recycling companies within the Gulf BPG which gave the opportunity to closely examine the products and services offered by these companies..
Malek Hannouf extended a warm welcome to the new board and urged all members to engage actively, encouraging their participation and collaborative efforts in advancing Gulf BPG strategies for safeguarding intellectual property.
A great start for 2024!

First Meet the Authorities Session - Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP)
2024-01-23
Gulf BPG kicked off the year with the first session of the “Meet the Authority” series, in collaboration with the IP Respect Council initiative. The session focused on introducing the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), its enforcement procedure and challenges.
Malek Hannouf, Gulf BPG Chairman, started the session by extending a warm welcome to Mr. Yasser Al Debassi, the Executive Director of IP Respect at SAIP, and all attendees from the private sector.
During the session, Mr. Al Debassi and his team provided an introduction to SAIP, and insights on tasks, strategic pillars, copyright enforcement, the IP Respect officer program and the Customs enforcement platform TAHAQAQ.
Following the presentations, a dynamic Q&A session unfolded, allowing brand owners to share their challenges and propose strategies for maximizing the benefits of the system in enforcing intellectual property rights in Saudi Arabia.
Malek Hannouf expressed gratitude to everyone and emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Public and Private sectors. He emphasized that right holders are committed to supporting SAIP in their journey of excellence.

1st Online Training session for AD DED
2024-01-22
Brands: LV, RIMOWA, DANFOSS, APPLE, ESSILOR LUXOTTICA

4th Online Training Session for Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property – SAIP – KSA
2023-12-20
Participated Brands: WD-40 & Toshiba

Launching ceremony of the Intangible Assets Evaluation Project - Intellectual Property Sector of the Ministry of Economy
2023-12-19
The Gulf BPG represented by Hady Khawand, Partner Saba IP, and BPG Board Member, participated in a very engaging session at the Seminar “Intangible Assets Financing Project for Intellectual Property,” which was organized jointly by WIPO and the Ministry Of Economy, UAE at DIFC FineTech Hive. This was a launching event for a WIPO project around Using Intangible Assets in Intellectual Property – A Path to Securing Financing in the UAE. Hady shared his insights as a panelist around innovative strategies for using Intellectual Property (IP) to monetize and securitize loans.

Online Workshop for JAFZA Shipping Companies on Intellectual Property
2023-12-12
Gulf BPG participated in an online workshop organized by Dubai Customs IPR department for shipping companies in JAFZA. The workshop commenced with welcoming remarks from Ms. Fatma Ahmad Alblooshi, Officer of Awareness and Education, representing Mr. Jamal Bader Taher, Administration Awareness and Education at Dubai Customs. Additionally, Mr. Hamad AL Sayegh, Head of Strategic Accounts at JAFZA, also delivered welcoming notes.
Ms. Al Blooshi initiated the workshop with an introduction to the IPR department, followed by a presentation on Recording IP, Awareness, and Education, as well as Recycling by Ms. Aysha Hareb. Subsequently, Ms. Yana Tsyakova, a board member of Gulf BPG, delved into the following topics:

Significance of Protecting Intellectual Property (IP)
Differentiation Between Registration and Recording.
The Role of Customs in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
IP Enforcement and Liability
Customs Seizures and Actions Available to Rights Holders.

The workshop concluded with a question-and-answer session, and overall, it was a successful event.

8th Online Training Session for Sultanate of Oman IP Enforcement Departments
2023-12-11
Brand: Samsung Electronics

11th Online Training Session for AD Customs
2023-12-06
Brands: Canon Inc & Toyota Motor

7th Online Training Session for Qatar MoCI
2023-12-05
Brands: Nissan, Samsung Electronics & NGK Spark Plug.

7th Online Training Session for Sultanate of Oman IP Enforcement Departments.
2023-12-05
Brands: Toshiba & JTI
