Fighting counterfeit goods remains a struggle for domestic businesses

A lot of businesses complain they are powerless in the fight against counterfeit goods, because limited state punishment cannot deter the violators.

“I spent a lot of time finding out the places where the products counterfeiting my products were sold and I reported them to the market control management agency and the police. However, the problem has never been settled,” said Nguyen Kim Loan, director of Manh Quang Motorbike Part Company.

Quang related that he has had to make visits ten times to fill in declarations and reports about the case. The shop that sold counterfeit Manh Quang brand motorbike parts then had to pay a fine of several million dong. The punishment was so slight that it could not prevent the shop continuing to sell counterfeit goods.

Loan says he is left with no other choice than to simply put up with counterfeit goods.

Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, chairwoman of Rang Dong Lighting Company said that counterfeit goods are too familiar and too popular.

“We discovered sellers of counterfeit goods. We pointed them out to the police. However, after the goods were seized and sellers paid the fine, other kinds of counterfeit goods have still been displayed,” she said.

Vu Thi Ngoc Lan, director of Hanosimex Fashion Company, related that she once traveled to Ninh Hiep market in Hanoi and spent hours watching products imitating the Hanosimex brand selling like hot cakes. Lan said counterfeiting technology is so good that only experts can discover the differences between real goods and counterfeit goods.

Less than 30 million dong is okay?

In 2009, HCM City authorities discovered 200 cases of trading counterfeit goods, an increase of 50 percent in comparison with 2008. Counterfeit goods are now selling in the open air at big markets as well.

In Hanoi, the city’s anti-counterfeit goods and brand protection association has helped its members to settle six cases.

However, six cases prove to be too small, while other violators remain without reach of the laws.

According to Thanh, under current laws, only places which trade a volume of counterfeit goods worth more than 30 million dong, can be brought to court. This means that the sale of goods worth less than 30 million dong is only subject to a fine of several million dong.

Lan from Hanosimex said that Hanosimex, after many years of focusing on export markets, has been trying to sell products on the domestic market as well. However, she feels too tired of struggling with counterfeit goods. Meanwhile, the only thing she needs to make sure of when exporting goods is to ensure high quality and delivery time.

VietNamNet/SGTT

Tags: Vietnam business news