The Brand Owners Protection Group (BPG), the largest non-profit organisation in the Gulf dedicated to combating fake trade, recently held its Annual General Meeting at the Media Rotana Hotel-Dubai on February 25, 2016. The vital event celebrates another turning point for the organisation as the meeting experienced the election of the group's new board members and proposed method for 2016/2017.

Following a tally of elect six candidates, a brand-new board has actually been elected, which now consists of brand owners British American Tobacco, Beiersdorf, Louis Vuitton, Nestl and HP. Al Tamimi & Company and Saba & Co have been nominated as service companies on the Board. The brand-new board reconvened in another meeting held later on and selected Mr. Elie Atallah as the Chairman of the BPG for the next two years.

Prior to the voting session, Mr. Elie Atallah, the chairman of the BPG and the board members, provided a discussion, which reviewed the effective efforts carried out by the BPG in 2015 and 2016 YTD and revealed appreciation for the involvement and cooperation of a number of federal government departments across the GCC in the fight against counterfeit trade. Mr. Atallah likewise highlighted possible locations for improvement in the present Intellectual Property (IP) system and the various efforts of the BPG in resolving them. On the program was the new GCC merged trade mark law which intends at increasing IP violation penalties and unifying trade mark regulations throughout the GCC.

Throughout the meeting the recommended BPG strategy for 2016/2017 was likewise exposed which focuses upon enhancing the level of cooperation in between brand owners and various federal governments across the GCC; even more expanding the BPG's local footprint, and improving communication with the general public through informing consumers on the personal and financial risks of buying counterfeit items, in order to develop awareness on the significance of IP protection and the damaging impacts of counterfeit products.

Over the past few years, BPG worked closely with various law enforcement bodies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to enhance the enforcement of copyright rights within the region. The group's initiatives consisted of arranging a great deal of training courses for Customs inspectors and police authorities. During 2016, BPG is set to carry out a line-up of anti-counterfeiting awareness activities within the GCC, including intellectual property forums and workshops in several Gulf States.