Danang City Police said on August 8 that they had opened a criminal investigation into alleged infringement of industrial property rights involving a business household in An Hai Ward, Danang City.
Danang police inspect a business premises in the area (Photo: Danang Police).
During an inspection of the business's warehouse, authorities seized more than 3,600 counterfeit products bearing the trademarks of well-known brands including Crocs, Adidas, Nike, The North Face, Goyard, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste. The goods were estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong.
During questioning, the warehouse operator told police that he had acted as the legal representative of the business at the request of a foreign national.
Previously, local authorities had also inspected a business on Tran Phu Street in Hai Chau Ward, which was managed by a foreign national.
The inspection uncovered thousands of counterfeit products bearing brands including Malvon, Gucci, J.Lindeberg, Titleist, Nike, Hermes and Hublot, with an estimated total value of billions of Vietnamese dong.
According to the Economic Security Division, the cases highlight the continued complexity of counterfeit-goods and intellectual-property violations carried out under the guise of investment and commercial activities.
Authorities said such violations were particularly concerning when foreign nationals were involved and Vietnamese people were used as legal representatives in an apparent attempt to conceal unlawful business activities.