In a ceremony today at the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) headquarters, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Stephen Beecroft presented the institute with 10 vehicles worth more than $250.000 to contribute to Jordan’s robust intellectual property rights enforcement regime.

Minister of Industry and Trade and the Chairman of the JSMO Board of Directors Eng. Amer Hadidi and JSMO Director General Dr. Yaseen Khayyat also attended the ceremony.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Beecroft said, “We are dedicated to strengthening criminal justice systems, countering the flow of illegal narcotics, and minimizing transnational crime.”  Ambassador Beecroft noted that Jordanians are increasingly aware of the important role that intellectual property plays in the local economy and how intellectual property rights infringements negatively impact the hard work of Jordanian software developers, artists, and musicians.

In his welcoming notes, Dr. Khayyat highlighted JSMO’s efforts in market surveillance and ensuring consumer protection by verifying the legitimacy of products. He also underscored that JSMO’s expansion of market surveillance activities, including anti-counterfeiting measures, is part of a well-structured development strategy.

H.E. Eng. Amer Hadidi, urged intellectual property right holders to rightfully take up civil actions on their own and not depend solely on the government to take actions against infringement of their rights, stating that there must be a holistic approach involving many parties of interest such as enforcement authorities, industry, non-governmental organizations and Jordan Customs. He also urged consumers to be engaged in efforts against counterfeiting.

The U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement program, which donated the vehicles to JSMO, provides assistance to the Government of Jordan in the areas of  reduction of gender-based violence, intellectual property rights enforcement, and anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism.