Vang Chien Minh, Bao Tin Lan Vy publicly sell many products with signs of "counterfeit goods
In the role of a customer who needs to buy a four-leaf grass bracelet from the Van Cleef & Arpels brand as a gift, reporters came to Chien Minh gold store, at 119 Cau Giay street, Cau Giay ward, Hanoi.
Inside the store, among the counters and shelves displaying many gold, silver, and gemstone products, reporters recorded some bracelets and rings with designs similar to designs of Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier... being sold publicly.
Reporters showed the female employee named Huyen (character name has been changed) a picture of a four-leaf grass patterned bracelet posted on the website of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Immediately after that, this employee brought out some products with designs similar to the bracelet in the photo to introduce, and also said that the product has many versions with stone colors such as red, black, and gold.
When reporters asked what the store called this bracelet model, the female employee replied: "We usually call it a four-leaf grass model, but it also has another name, Van Cleef, a counterfeit brand.
Continuing to learn about the Cartier Love bracelet model of the Cartier brand, reporters raised the issue of whether the store can accept crafting products according to the model or not. The female employee requested to see the image to transfer it to the craftsman for inspection.
After seeing the images provided by the reporter, the staff asked to wait a few minutes and then bring out a bracelet with a similar design to introduce.
When reporters asked if the product at the store was similar to the Cartier Love model in the photo, the female employee affirmed: "It's it, nothing different. Only different in version, larger version, smaller version only. This Cartier model is very stable, very beautiful to wear on the hand".
Recorded at a store belonging to the Bao Tin Lan Vy system, address No. 212 Tran Duy Hung street, Hanoi. Here, when reporters showed images of Van Cleef & Arpels' four-leaf grass patterned bracelet, store staff introduced a similar-style product priced at 48.45 million VND.
According to the employee, the bracelet weighs about 3 chi (unit of weight), made from western gold. This person also affirmed: "This is not a Van Cleef & Arpels brand, just a similar model".
When reporters continued to ask about the Cartier Love bracelet model that is attracting a lot of attention, the female employee took out a bracelet from the drawer with a design similar to the product in the photo provided by reporters and quoted a price of 53 million VND.
During the consultation process, the store staff also introduced another bracelet with a design similar to Cartier's design, and also said that the product could be made of gold with lower content, such as 10K or 14K gold, but the finished product would be "not beautiful". Another staff member at the store added: "It can be made the same, but the sharpness will not be like that".
Market management intervenes
Regarding the reflection of Lao Dong Newspaper, in an exchange with reporters, a representative of the Domestic Market Management and Development Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that they have issued a document requesting the Hanoi Market Management Sub-Department (Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade) to investigate information according to the reflection of Lao Dong Newspaper.
Representatives of the Hanoi City Market Management Sub-Department have assigned Market Management Teams to proactively assign local civil servants to implement professional measures to verify and confirm reflected information. When there are results, information will be provided to Lao Dong Newspaper.
Through documents recorded by Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, Lawyer Hoang Ha - Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association - said that the above-mentioned products have clear signs of intellectual property infringement. Because, if the name, logo or sign that is difficult to distinguish from Cartier, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels is attached to jewelry, boxes, bags without the owner's permission, this act falls under the case of illegal use of trademarks under Article 129 of the Law on Intellectual Property.
To thoroughly handle this situation, Lawyer Hoang Ha said that it is necessary to shift from checking each store to tracing the entire chain of goods, from gold sources, processing facilities, import dossiers, inventory, advertising, payment to sales invoices.
In case the goods are declared as imported but the invoice shows that the product is manufactured by a domestic workshop, it must be compared simultaneously with customs data, tax and production books. Functional agencies need to take independent samples to test the content, volume, symbols and quality of gold; not just based on warranty certificates or inspection papers provided by sellers. Serious violations should be made public, and at the same time, products that do not meet regulations must be recalled or destroyed.
Regarding intellectual property, it is necessary to establish a rapid coordination mechanism between customs forces, market management, tax authorities, police and trademark owners to identify, inspect, and prevent right from the import stage and handle advertising and online sales activities. Finally, sellers must publicly disclose the business entity, address, origin, gold content, production unit or import and issue invoices for the correct transaction. Inspection needs to be carried out regularly, based on risk signs, instead of just opening peak periods.
