Officials from HCM City’s General Department of Market Management find knock-offs of some luxury items at Bến Thành Market. — VNS Photo Văn Châu

HCM CITY — Fake and low-quality goods and knock-offs are increasing relentlessly in HCM City and can only be prevented through combined efforts by both authorities and businesses, a seminar heard on Wednesday.

Trần Văn Dũng of the General Department of Market Management said the long-term fight against these goods would not succeed without the active co-operation of enterprises and society.

A report by his department said violations are becoming increasingly sophisticated and well–organised, especially in the cases of food, agricultural materials, construction materials, drugs, and consumer goods.

Trần Trịnh Tiến, a department official, said city authorities are seeking more effective measures in the fight against counterfeits, smuggling and trade fraud as e-commerce grows rapidly. 

But the fight remains challenging, he said.

“Tightening checking for counterfeit goods at major markets like Bến Thành, Bình Tây and An Đông is vital.”

The inability to root out fakes and piracy is due to the lack of stringent penalties, poor co-ordination between authorities and enterprises, limited human resources, and outdated equipment and facilities, he added.

Nguyễn Thành Danh of Bình Dương Province’s market management department said counterfeit goods and trade fraud related to intellectual property rights are affecting the investment environment and consumers. 

Counterfeit goods fetch large profits in a short time but the penalties for their sellers are very lenient, he explained, saying violators therefore tend to be repeated offenders.

“Some enterprises are not aware of the seriousness of the counterfeit problem, others do not actively co-operate with authorities and most of the public are ignorant about it."

Consumers also lack awareness and legal knowledge about commercial businesses, and are often deceived by cheap products that could be unsafe for their health, he added.

Solutions

Trần Trung Nghĩa, a businessman, said to combat the problem city authorities should closely monitor goods that are susceptible to piracy and forgery as well as people trading fake goods in the past.

“They should work closely with enterprises and related authorities. The most important thing is that market authoritie​s should regularly update law​makers​ ​on the changing situation.”

Businesses need to have greater awareness of counterfeits and co-operate closely with relevant authorities, he said.

“Enterprises should improve their technologies to make it harder​for their goods to be faked.” — VNS