Asia IP

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) has shut down two tire retreading factories in Riyadh which were involved in counterfeit production. The ministry confiscated 300 counterfeit tires as part of the investigation.

AlHowail Retreading Tires and the Tire Renewing Factory were involved in adulteration and counterfeit productions.The two factories were shut down by MCI inspection teams following discovery of the counterfeit goods and a raft of other non-intellectual property-related violations, including storage of products “in a random way and under the sun.”

MCI’s raids and factory closures came following joint efforts of the MCI and the Saudi Specifications and Standards Authority through intensive field tours to monitor tire retreading plants violation. MCI had announced earlier the implementation of a comprehensive campaign in all regions of the Kingdom on the retreading tires factories not complying with the Saudi Standards and Specifications, which may cause many fatal accidents to their users.

“This comes as a result of the MCI efforts during the last period in the seizure and confiscation of used and adulterated tires from the markets, shops and warehouses, which are not complying with Saudi standards and specifications in order to eliminate the counterfeit tires and to protect the consumers from related harm,” a ministry statement said.

The MCI statement notes that the ministry intends to continue to apply legal penalties against the violating factories which produce counterfeit or copied goods which may cause risks on the consumers. “MCI would not tolerate with those promoting such items, and it [will] continue the inspection tours on factories, markets, warehouses and commercial establishments to ensure their proper and regular works.”