Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf opened here on Tuesday the 4th Arab forum on combating commercial fraud and counterfeiting and protecting intellectual property rights, and its accompanying exhibition, which lasts for three days. In his speech at opening of the forum, Dr. Al-Assaf confirmed that the forum is an extension of the efforts of the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which among its objectives the protection of the rights of the trade parties of consumers and producers, in addition to the transparency of the relationship between them. Dr. Al-Assaf talked about the reasons of commercial fraud and counterfeiting and its negative effects on the economy, pointing out that this phenomenon has also serious effects on the consumer health and safety. In the forum, Minister of Commerce Dr. Tawfik bin Fauzan Al-Rabiah delivered a speech in which he stressed on the important of combating commercial fraud and counterfeiting and the protection of intellectual property, saying this combating aims to protect consumers, producers and merchants. Those who also spoke at the forum included Director General of Customs Saleh bin Mani'a Al-Khiliwi and Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Kunio Mikuriya who praised the contributions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its prominent role in combating commercial fraud and counterfeiting and protecting intellectual property rights by raising consumer awareness of this dangerous phenomenon.
