The General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs has announced that it destroyed and recycled 578 counterfeit goods of international brands, which were seized by customs centres during the year 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Counterfeiting such goods infringe the intellectual and literary property rights, with an estimated amount of AED2 million.

The counterfeit goods which were recycled into usable goods such as leather accessories including bags and clothes, watches and belts of various international brands, a package of cotton and sports clothes, in addition to a number of smart devices such as wired and wireless headphones.

The counterfeit goods were destroyed after completing the environmental and legal requirements at Abu Dhabi Airport Customs Center - Logistics Zone, in the presence of the destruction committee team, Shredex, a company specializing in recycling operations and representatives of trademark owners.

Fahed Gareeb Alshamsi, Executive Director of the Support Services Sector at Abu Dhabi Customs, said: "Intellectual property rights’ protection constitutes a top priority for Abu Dhabi Customs in light of the most important strategic objectives of United Arab Emirates to achieve global leadership in the field of creativity and innovation, we firmly believe that we are the first line of defense to protect society and its economy from Commercial fraud."