On July 20, Vinh Long Province Police decided to launch criminal proceedings and prosecute Thai Le Minh Tuan, born in 1984 and residing in Dong Thap Province, on charges of infringing industrial property rights.
Vinh Long Province Police serves the decision to prosecute Thai Le Minh Tuan (Photo: Vinh Long Police).
Earlier, on June 2, during a planned inspection, authorities discovered that Gia Thai business household, on Phan Dinh Phung Street in Hamlet 2, Nguyet Hoa Ward, was displaying a large quantity of goods suspected of counterfeiting famous trademarks protected in Vietnam.
The products found included shoes, sandals, socks, insoles and sandal soles bearing trademarks such as NIKE, ADIDAS, GUCCI, LOUIS VUITTON and HERMES. A total of 1,571 items were seized, with a listed value of more than VND 219 million (USD 8,500).
The business owner admitted that all of the goods were counterfeit and had been bought from various sources in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi through social media or directly from An Dong Market for resale at a profit. The products were openly displayed at the shop, priced from VND 18,000 to VND 650,000 per item.
An assessment by the National Office of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Science and Technology concluded that all seized goods were counterfeit versions of trademarks protected in Vietnam. The asset valuation council in criminal proceedings also determined the total value of the exhibits at more than VND 219 million.
Representatives of nine companies that own the counterfeited trademarks issued written confirmation that they had not authorised Gia Thai business household to distribute their products and urged the authorities to handle the case strictly in accordance with the law.
