Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh , Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, giving a speech. Photo: Quang Huy
In his opening remarks, Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, noted that the fight against counterfeit goods and fake news is becoming increasingly complex, causing serious harm to consumers and businesses.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, counterfeit goods have infiltrated many essential items such as food, milk, medicine, and dietary supplements, and are even sold openly, indicating weak control mechanisms. In addition, the proliferation of false information on the internet erodes public trust and severely impacts businesses.
At the seminar, Dr. Do Thi Ngoc Diep, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Nutrition Association, warned that counterfeit and fake goods are silently harming health, contributing to an increase in non-communicable diseases, which currently account for 74% of the disease burden and 80% of deaths, and approximately 185,000 new cancer cases each year.
According to Doctor Do Thi Ngoc Diep, counterfeit food and medicine can cause acute and chronic poisoning and the accumulation of toxins, leading to serious diseases such as cancer.
From a business perspective, lawyer Truong Anh Tu, Chairman of TAT Law Firm and legal representative for Binh Minh Plastic Joint Stock Company, stated that many organizations intentionally register trademarks that are identical or very similar to real trademarks, then sue the original owner, exploiting legal loopholes to seize intellectual property rights.
Lawyer Truong Anh Tu. Photo: Quang Huy
According to lawyer Truong Anh Tu, in addition to legal attacks, many businesses are also targeted by fake news, which is an equally dangerous form of attack.
Typically, during the peak of the anti-counterfeiting campaign earlier this year, a brand in the dietary supplement industry was subjected to a viral spread on TikTok alleging "linkage to counterfeit drugs," even though the expert's findings had not yet been released. The consequence was a 40% drop in revenue in just two weeks, chaos in the distribution system, and anxiety among shareholders.
Therefore, lawyer Truong Anh Tu proposed that the law should be amended to recognize priority rights based on the actual, public, and continuous use of trademarks, similar to the "first-to-use" principle in the US. In addition, there should be increased oversight of the motives of entities registering numerous copycat trademarks to prevent speculation and appropriation.
Regarding market management, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), said that perpetrators often use social media and e-commerce platforms to distribute goods of unknown origin, create fake accounts, and counterfeit famous brands to gain illicit profits. Many businesses have been subjected to false information, distortions, and defamation of their brands, but face significant difficulties in tracing the source of the dissemination and prosecuting them according to the law.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam provided information at the seminar. Photo: Quang Huy
To prevent counterfeit goods, fake products, and misinformation from harming businesses, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam proposed that clear legal responsibilities should be established for social media platforms and e-commerce platforms in controlling, preventing, and removing infringing and misleading content; the process of inspecting infringing goods should be shortened, and a "fast inspection" mechanism should be established to promptly serve investigations and handling; the application of digital technology in market management should be promoted, from building inter-agency databases and traceability systems to early warning of violations; and international cooperation, especially with cross-border platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Amazon, should be strengthened to handle activities with foreign elements.
In the first six months of 2025, market management forces nationwide inspected 11,568 cases; handled 9,919 violations; collected a total of 266 billion VND in administrative fines; remitted 141 billion VND to the state budget; and transferred 76 cases with signs of criminal activity to investigative agencies.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/co-tinh-dang-ky-nhan-hieu-trung-hoac-gan-giong-thuong-hieu-that-sau-do-kien-nguoc-708658.html
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