Apple Dubai Mall store opens at 4pm on Thursday April 27

Apple praises Dubai for protecting intellectual property

DUBAI 15 April, 2017: The third Apple store in the UAE is scheduled to open at 4pm on Thursday April 27 at Dubai Mall.

It has stores in Mall of Emirates, Dubai and at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi.

The construction facade currently sournounding the store showcases 35 local enterprises on a mural wall that “tells the story of the creative community from start-ups, independent art galleries and local app developers, to boutiques, cafes and food trucks we all know and love”, Apple said.

The store will have longer than usual opening hours, open between 10:00am – 11:00pm on Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Sunday and between 10:00am – 11:59pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, said Tom Sykes on The Apple Post.

Praise for Dubai

The US-based tech giant Apple Inc. praised the vital role played by the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in Dubai Economy, the emirate’s economic development department, in protecting intellectual property (IP).

Edmund Wilkie, Senior Counsel, IP Enforcement, Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) at Apple Europe Limited recently honoured officials and Intellectual Property Rights Protection inspectors from CCCP for their efforts and professionalism displayed in protecting the Apple brand and in combatting commercial fraud and counterfeiting.

Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO, CCCP, also received a message from Scott Gelin, Director, IP Enforcement (Global) at Apple Inc. praising the efforts and commitment of Dubai Economy in ensuring commercial compliance and consumer protection.

The role of IP protection in sustainable economic development and the negative health impacts of counterfeit goods were mentioned prominently in the message.

“Apple Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of consumer electronics and computer software products. It has a major market share in Dubai and the UAE, which is also home to the first two Apple Stores in the Middle East,” Lootah commented.

“Dubai Economy and Apple have a long history of joint campaigns aimed at tackling commercial fraud and counterfeiting. The recognition that CCCP has now received from Apple is a demonstration of our continuing co-operation in eliminating threats facing traders as well as consumers.”

Lootah added that Dubai Economy will continue its efforts to enhance happiness and satisfaction among businesses and investors through improved services and stronger IP protection, which he said will also raise the emirate’s profile as a regional and global commercial hub.

Ibrahim Behzad, Director of the Intellectual Property Rights Protection in Dubai Economy, said, “We are delighted to be honoured by Apple, which confirms our keenness to support businesses in the emirate by investigating the phenomenon of counterfeiting as well as confiscating and destroying counterfeit goods thus eliminating the risk of financial loss as well as health hazards.”

Behzad added that CCCP maintains round-the-clock vigil to protect intellectual property and conducts random inspections, field visits and investigation to detect counterfeits.

By Rajive Singh