Brand protection across India and the UAE
Two markets, different regulators and one problem: counterfeits that move faster than enforcement. A practical guide for brand owners operating across both.
India: scale and channels
With a retail market above US$1 trillion and quick commerce now accounting for most e-grocery orders, counterfeits reach consumers through every channel. Consumers estimate that nearly 29% of products in local markets could be fake, and 74% think the problem worsened over the past year.
UAE: a hub that redistributes
The UAE's e-commerce market more than doubled between 2020 and 2025, and Dubai's role as a re-export hub means goods transit as well as sell. The 2025 AML law adds a financial-crime dimension to high-value trade.
A two-market playbook
- Register and record rights in each market and keep one portfolio register.
- Monitor marketplaces and social commerce in local languages.
- Verify with test purchases before enforcement.
- Trace sources across borders: factories, printers and transit hubs.
- Use the enforcement route that works in each market: raids and civil suits in India, customs and administrative action in the UAE.
- Report outcomes to leadership on one dashboard.
Sources
- The Week, on the ASPA–CRISIL State of Counterfeiting in India 2025 report, 35% of Indians encountered fake products in one year; online platforms account for 53% of purchases, Mar 2026.
- IBEF, Retail Industry in India, Updated Sep 2026.
- WAM, on the EZDubai–Euromonitor report, UAE e-commerce market size reaches AED42.2 billion in 2025, Sep 2026.
- Hadef & Partners, A new era for AML/CTF/PF in the UAE: Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Oct 2025.
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