On the morning of October 19, the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department reported that its Market Surveillance Team No. 12, in coordination with the An Phu Dong Ward Police, conducted a surprise inspection of a local business.
During the operation, they discovered and seized a shipment of batteries suspected of infringing upon intellectual property rights, valued at approximately VND4.3 billion (US$172,000).
In addition to direct sales, the business utilized an e-commerce website to promote and sell these potentially infringing products. Market Surveillance Team No. 12 has compiled a case file and seized all the goods for further investigation to clarify the violations and ensure appropriate legal action is taken.
Previously, Market Surveillance Team No. 3, alongside Team 6 of the Economic Police Division and the Tan Son Nhi Ward Police, inspected another business location, where they discovered 137 watches and pieces of jewelry suspected of being counterfeits of well-known brands, with a total listed value exceeding VND2.5 billion.
The items, which included watches and necklaces bearing the names of brands such as Rolex, Omega, Hublot, and Hermes, were unused and lacked the invoices, labels, or documentation required to prove their origin.
According to Nguyen Quang Huy, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department, the city’s market surveillance authorities have investigated and handled 897 cases involving e-commerce violations since the beginning of the year. Over 223,000 products, with a total value exceeding VND19 billion, have been seized, and fines totaling more than VND13 billion have been imposed.
