It then occurred to me that even though the kettle was sporting a well known brand name perhaps it wasn't the real McCoy. It also reminded me of how we, as consumers, are faced with a choice between quality of goods and affordability, both of which do not necessarily have a co-relation. I'm sure you're all aware of how the government authorities in the UAE have been fighting to keep counterfeit brands at bay. These have inundated the market in recent years and many consumers, myself included, were often confused about whether an item bearing a famous brand name was in fact genuine or a good imitation. Most of us can be forgiven for being tricked by the pirate, whether it is an electric kettle, a watch or even a computer programme.
Pirates thrive on causing confusion.
By duplicating goods to such an extent that although they may only resemble the original they succeed in perplexing the buyer and leading him to think that perhaps the manufacturer himself has launched another version of his existing brand. Well, things have come to a head now. In an effort to rid the marketplace of unacceptable merchandise UAE traders had until Aug. 15 by which to sell off any existing fakes. The UAE officials have been quite judicious in their approach. Rather than seizing and confiscating offending goods thus causing immediate economic mayhem on the marketplace and to UAE trade, they saw fit to aid traders abide by the law by not disrupting their income and business.