Dubai Economy launches Commercial Compliance Manual to raise business community awareness on laws and best practices
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دليل الالتزام التجاري - Download Arabic version
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Dubai Economy has launched the Commercial Compliance Manual, its new and comprehensive commercial guide on the Consumerrights.ae website to enhance the role entrusted with its Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector, to protect businesses and intellectual property (IP). The bilingual manual, in Arabic and English, seek to enhance traders’ commitment to best practices and awareness of the laws, regulations, and requirements in Dubai among commercial establishments and investors as part of reducing the number of violations and creating a uniquely competitive business environment for traders as well as consumers.
The manual, issued by CCCP, sheds light on the most important information that a trader requires rrgarding: protecting IP rights, protecting the rights of commercial agencies, business protection, practising commercial activities, sales and promotions, and raflles and prizes. The manual provides detailed information to help traders understand the valid and effective mechanism for doing business in the emirate.
Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said: “Dubai Economy and the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection sector continue to enhance the work environment in the emirate in a manner that protects the rights of traders and consumers while maintaining Dubai’s attractiveness as a business centre. The Commercial Compliance Manual affirms these efforts by highlighting the most important rules and controls necessary to protect businesses and IP rights for trademarks and agencies as well as by creating a healthy competitive environment, which promotes cordial trade relations and preserves everyone’s rights.”
Lootah added: “We invite busiensses to cooperate with us by referring to the manual available on the Consumerrights.ae website and abiding by the information, directions, and controls contained therein, which would enhance the culture of awareness among all. This contributes to achieving the sustainable economic development goals in addition to each party's understanding of its responsibilities, duties, and rights, to access, preserve, and enhance best practices in various fields. It also improves service quality and transparency in the business sector.”
Download DED Commercial Compliance Manual
دليل الالتزام التجاري - Download Arabic version
View all DED circulars
The manual highlights the ways and mechanisms of protecting IP rights for trademarks and agencies alike. CCCP has seen 5300 IP rights files registered in its IP Gateway by the end of Q1 2020, as part of preserving innovations, designs, logos, and trademarks. The manual highlights the most important elements IP rights owners must know, including about trade name and trademark, patents, mechanism for filing a complaint on IP rights infringements, conditions for filing complaints, fees, and legal terms. The manual also explains the concept of the commercial agency, the principal agent (manufacturer, producer, or exclusive distributor), and the process of registering a commercial agency as well as the mechanism for filing an infringement complaint and the conditions, fees, legal terms applicable to commercial agencies.
The manual also highlights the business protection facility provided by Dubai Economy as part of enhancing competitiveness and increasing awareness about the contractual foundations that the trader must know to prevent disputes, preserve rights, and protect their business, such as submitting complaints through smart platforms, such as the website and the Dubai Consumer app, and related fees.
The mechanisms for organising the practice of commercial activities in the emirate to ensure sustainable business growth and a conducive business environment for traders and consumers are also explained in the manual. The need to maintaining a flexible approach to customer care as well as a visually appealing storefront to attract consumers and the importance of the store location, cooperation with the Dubai economy inspectors, regulations, violations and penalties applicable in the event of non-cooperation and non-compliance are also detailed in the manual.
The importance of sales and promotions as a strategic marketing tool and the process of organising such campaigns in a fair and transparent manner is also explained in the manual. Traders must obtain a permit from Dubai Economy and other competent authorities, if necessary, should they conduct any sales or promotional campaigns. Knowing the types of promotional campaigns and their difference, conditions for promotional campaigns, and the violations and fines that a trader may be exposed to in the event of non-compliance are important to guarantee credibility and transparency of promotional campaigns.
The manual also explains terms and conditions for conducting raffles and offering prizes, which are considered one of the most important ways to activate the market and atttract regional consumers. Procedures for registering raffles, most important points that the trader must know, including: permit requirements, the raffle stage and its supervisory entities, the post-raffle stage to ensure the delivery of prizes to their owners, and the most important legal terms and data that must be provided.