Enhancing cooperation effectiveness in combating smuggling, counterfeiting, and intellectual property violations

Overview of the discussion. Photo: D.N

The seminar was attended by delegates and guests: Mr. Tran Van Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Professional Affairs, General Department of Market Surveillance; Mr. Tran Giang Khue, Head of the Representative Office of the Department of Intellectual Property in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Vu Hoai Linh, Deputy Head of the Counterfeit Goods Control Team and Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (Team 4), Department of Anti-Smuggling Investigation; Mr. Tran Van Thanh, Deputy Head of the Counterfeit Goods Control Team and Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (Team 3), Department of Anti-Smuggling and Investigation; Ms. Nguyen Pham Nhu Ha, Deputy Head of the Supervision and Control Division of Origin of Goods and Intellectual Property, Department of Customs Supervision and Control, General Department of Customs.

The seminar was also attended by delegates representing the Southern Post-Clearance Audit Sub-Department; Representatives of local Customs leaders: Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Long An, Ba Ria Vung Tau, etc.

The seminar was also attended by representatives of the Market Surveillance Department of provinces and cities, functional units, business associations and about 100 domestic and foreign enterprises, reporters from news agencies, newspapers and radio stations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Vu Thi Anh Hong, Editor-in-Chief of Customs Magazine, delivered the openingspeech at the seminar. Photo: C.L

Ms. Vu Thi Anh Hong, Editor-in-Chief of Customs Magazine, Head of the Organizing Committee, delivered an opening speech emphasizing: The situation of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and goods violating intellectual property rights in recent times has had complex, sophisticated, and unpredictable developments.

Many types of prohibited goods such as drugs, firecrackers, cigarettes, endangered and rare wildlife, scarce goods on the market such as minerals, gasoline and essential goods for production and consumption such as sugar, food, cosmetics, electronics, consumer goods, smuggled goods, bicycle and motorbike spare parts, etc. have tended to increase in complexity on routes and locations nationwide and even in cyberspace.

According to data from the National Steering Committee 389, in the first 9 months of 2024, forces detected, arrested, and handled over 39,000 violations, down 32.7% compared to the same period in 2023.

The seminar was attended by representatives of domestic and foreign associations and enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: C.L

Notably, while the illegal trading and transportation of prohibited and smuggled goods was 6,118 cases, down 18.3%; commercial fraud and tax fraud was 31,473 cases, down 21.7%, counterfeit goods and goods violating intellectual property rights were recorded at 1,426 cases, up 13.7% over the same period in 2023.

The severity of the cases also tended to increase with 810 cases being prosecuted with 1,132 subjects. Compared to the same period in 2023, there was an increase of 9% in the number of cases and an increase of 14.3% in the number of subjects.

Recently, there has also been a situation of taking advantage of business forms on e-commerce platforms (Shopee, Lazada, Sendo, etc), social networks (Facebook, TikTok, Zalo, Youtube, etc) and taking advantage of postal and express delivery activities, subjects have used many sophisticated tricks to carry out acts of smuggling, trading in counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, goods of unknown origin.

In particular, in 2024, there has been a situation of smuggling high-value items, luxury goods such as diamonds, gold, foreign currency, counterfeit goods of famous brands such as HERMÈS, Apple, etc.

Specifically, 2 consecutive cases of diamond smuggling were arrested at Tan Son Nhat airport with a quantity of up to more than 1,000 pieces; 3 gold smuggling cases were arrested during the peak of gold price fluctuations with a total weight of 13kg, etc.

During the peak period of increased control in September 2024, the Anti-counterfeiting and Intellectual Property Rights Protection Control Team (Team 4) under the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department - General Department of Customs arrested 19 violations. Among them there are many fake shipments of famous brands such as HERMÈS and Apple.

Among the cases detected, arrested and handled, many cases of goods being produced abroad, then brought into domestic consumption through various channels such as official import, unofficial import, smuggling, trade fraud, etc.

In 2024, the General Department of Customs also issued Plan 1244/KH-TCHQ dated March 26, 2024 on controlling and combating smuggling of counterfeit goods, counterfeit goods regarding intellectual property and goods infringing intellectual property rights in 2024.

It is forecasted that in the last months of 2024, especially before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2024, the situation of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods nationwide will have complicated and unpredictable developments, negatively affecting the socio-economic development of the country.

On November 30, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Head of the National Steering Committee 389, signed and issued Plan No. 133/KH-BCĐ389 on the peak period against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2025, with the implementation period from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025.

Faced with the above situation, with the consent of the General Department of Customs, Customs Magazine organized a seminar with the theme: "Improving the effectiveness of cooperation in combating smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property violations" with the aim of creating a forum for management agencies, experts, businesses, and industry associations to speak up and propose effective solutions in coordination between forces, thereby improving the effectiveness in the "war" against smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property violations, etc.

Within the framework of the seminar, speakers from the Department of Professional Affairs (General Department of Market Surveillance), the Department of Intellectual Property in Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Customs Supervision and Control, Team 3, Team 4 - Department of Anti-smuggling and Investigation also shared about the current situation of smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property violations as well as solutions and recommendations in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods, especially the work of improving the effectiveness of coordination.