Workshop

Vietnam has increasingly become both a target destination and significant transit route for counterfeit and pirated products. Cheap, sub-standard fakes are flooding the market through foreign and local traders while manufacturers are illegally replicating well-known brand names and designs on their packages and labels. This underground economy worth up to tens of billions of dollars, making the State lose tax revenue and the consumers' health is at risk. Several factors have contributed to the wide-scale proliferation of counterfeit and pirated products, including but not limited to: 1. Corruption particularly at entry points; 2. Out-dated legislation and weak enforcement mechanisms, including a lack of national policy on combating counterfeiting and piracy. 3. Most importantly, Vietnamese consumers are unaware of the risks involved in purchasing and consuming counterfeits. Much work remains to be done in Vietnam to both strengthen the value and protection of IP rights and to guard against counterfeiting and piracy. This effort must start with the government’s clear message to the criminal networks and others involved in counterfeiting and piracy that these activities will no longer be tolerated. These actions will help convince legitimate business owners and consumers that the government. KAS Vietnam in collaboration with The Department of Criminal and Administrative Legislation, Ministry of Justice organize the workshop on “Law and Regulations to Handle on Violation on Protection of Consumer’s Rights”. This is a forum for inter-sectoral participants, including law enforcement agencies, policy makers and consumer’s protection organisations to discussion on the current situation, legal frameworks and discuss for better effective solutions in the fight against counterfeit goods and protection of consumers as well.