AMMAN----October 29, 2015------Jordan Customs and Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP), a member of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Intellectual Property protection in a special ceremony held at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Forum.

According to the MoU signed by Major General Munther Al Assaf, director general of the Customs Department and HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of TAG-Org, the two parties will cooperate in the development of activities and ways of Intellectual Property protection to create a rich environment for investment in the Kingdom and to activate Intellectual Property protection services to protect trademark owners against the entry of any fake products similar to their trademarks.   

Al Assaf said that Jordan Customs is the concerned authority to take border measures to protect intellectual property rights of any infringements whether by importing counterfeit goods or those that carry signs or logos identical or similar to trademarks protected by law in the country through any of the customs crossings, stating that Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property is one of the most important companies in the filing and protection of trademarks in general in the Kingdom and other Arab countries.

The two parties seek to cooperate through this MoU in the protection of Intellectual Property with the aim of primarily protecting consumers from commercial fraud and the preservation of their assets and ensure the purchase of original goods.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said that one of the key objectives for signing the MoU is that it allows AGIP to submit a registration application to the Customs Department which includes all trademarks of its clients to protect their rights from any infringement by any person as prescribed to them under applicable laws. 

It is worth noting that the Customs Act since 2000 includes an article that allows Customs to exercise its role in the protection of Intellectual Property Rights, as has been the establishment of a special department of Intellectual Property since 2007, in addition to a draft amendment law to activate its role in the protection of Intellectual Property Rights.

Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property organizes and sponsors training courses, in coordination with the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Arab Society for Intellectual Property and the World Trade Organization, and publishes many references in the field of IP in the Arab world, including the collection of the English translation of all Arab IP laws, and the deployment of a major glossary on Intellectual Property.