The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has penalised a shop in Al Rayyan Al Jadeed over the display and sale of counterfeit sports clothing bearing international trademarks.

This constituted a violation of Article 6 of Law No 8 of 2008 on consumer protection and anti-commercial fraud, the MEC said in a press statement yesterday.
Article 6 prohibits the sale, display, promotion or advertising of any spoiled or fraudulent goods. An item is considered spoiled or fraudulent if it does not conform to the prescribed standards, is unusable or has expired.
The violation was detected after the ministry launched a surprise inspection campaign targeting a number of retails outlets on Al Shafi Street, Al Rayyan Al Jadeed, in a bid to monitor the compliance of suppliers with their obligations under Law No 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
The inspection campaign comes within the framework of the MEC’s efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities across Qatar to uncover violations, counterfeit and fraudulent products, and goods that do not conform to standards, the statement notes.
Violations of Law No 8 of 2008 on consumer protection could result in administrative closure and financial penalties ranging from QR3,000 to QR1mn.
The ministry has stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the consumer protection law and its regulation, and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on such practices. It will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will, in turn, take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
In this regard, the MEC has urged all consumers to report violations or submit complaints and suggestions through the call centre: 16001, email: [email protected], Twitter: MEC_QATAR, Instagram MEC_QATAR and the applications of the ministry on smartphones available on iPhone and Android devices: MEC_QATAR

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