MoiT steps up fight against fake goods online

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is seeking solutions to stop fake goods appearing on e-co妹妹erce websites, said a ministry official at a conference held in Hà Nội recently.

Nguyễn Hữu Tuấn, head of the E-co妹妹erce management division of MoIT’s Vietnam eCo妹妹erce and Digital Economy Agency, said  二0 一 八 was the busiest year for online businesses, with a growth rate of more than  三0 per cent. “If this level of growth continues in  二0 一 九 and  二0 二0, the market will reach US$ 一 三 billion.”

However, he said management of the e-co妹妹erce sector faced difficulties because forecasts were out of date compared to the rapid growth and development of the industry.

“Such limitations are not only challenging Việt Nam, but also many other countries. In Europe, up to  五 五 per cent of customers receive counterfeit goods when ordering online,” Tuấn said.

The problem of counterfeit goods on e-co妹妹erce sites is causing headaches for State management agencies in Việt Nam.

In  二0 一 八, about  二 五0 violations among e-co妹妹erce businesses were discovered, including issues with the transparency of information, transactions and contracts with customers.

Government Decree  五 二/ 二0 一 三/ND-CP on the e-co妹妹erce sector does not cover all issues relevant to payments, information transparency and consumer protection, Tuấn said.

Regarding online lending models such as peer-to-peer (P 二P), which are not yet permitted in Việt Nam, Tuấn said this was a relatively new area and the law had not been fully adjusted to adapt to this model.

In addition, the MoIT’s Circular No. 四 七/ 二0 一 四/TT-BCT on the management of e-co妹妹erce websites excludes websites in the financial sector. “This segment is related to the management of the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Việt Nam. Peer-to-peer lending has not been specifically defined so we are unable to license it,” Tuấn said.

“The Government has assigned ministries and agencies to study this issue,” he added.

Tasks

Tuấn said the Vietnam eCo妹妹erce and Digital Economy Agency was focusing on preparing for the rapid growth of the market, creating a legal framework for e-co妹妹erce activities, as well as solutions to stop the trade of fake goods.

“E-co妹妹erce businesses operate like a normal market. If we want to check goods sold on e-co妹妹erce platforms, we need to have inspection measures like those for regular sales,” Tuấn said.

In order to limit counterfeit goods, the MoIT will focus on several key areas, including amending Decree  五 二 to create a legal corridor protecting consumers.

The agency will work closely with customs authorities, market watch team and police to thoroughly eliminate poor quality goods sold online.

The MoIT is working with the National Steering Co妹妹ittee for Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeited Goods (National Steering Co妹妹ittee  三 八 九) to develop a master plan to prevent the trade of counterfeit and smuggled goods on e-co妹妹erce sites. This will be submitted to the Government as soon as possible, according to Tuấn. — VNS