Customs officers in Huu Nghi border gate (Lang Son ) inspect violation industrial designs — Photo: baohaiquan

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Close co-ordination between customs agencies and enterprises is crucial for the protection of intellectual property rights as well as the prevention and detection of violations.

Van Ba Tin, deputy head of the Ha Noi Department of Customs, made this statement at a recent conference on intellectual property rights protection.

The conference took place in the capital city during the implementation of the Viet Nam Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System/Viet Nam Customs Information System (VNACCS/VCIS), which the department and React, an international anti-counterfeit network, organised. In order to enhance efficiency, enterprises should provide customs officials with information on their goods before they are imported, said Tin.

He also noted that, unfortunately, the increase in international trade went hand-in-hand with an increase in fraud and fake products. Intellectual property rights violations were not just harmful to the economy and trade, but also to consumers' health, Tin added.

Currently, Viet Nam is undergoing a strict process of inspection and supervision of imports and exports via the VNACCS/VCIS, and the role of customs authorities in preventing intellectual property rights violations has therefore become more important than ever before, according to Tin.

Meanwhile, Tran Viet Hung of the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department under the Customs Department of Viet Nam said that since VNACCS/VCIS was new to the country, customs authorities needed further information on products and trademarks.

Learning from other countries' experience in protecting intellectual property rights would help Viet Nam build an effective inspection process and exert effective control over violations, Hung added.

At the event, business representatives expressed their opinions on how to better manage goods and protect intellectual property rights.

According to Le Viet Hung of The North Face, the new e-customs system has made it possible for central offices to instruct local customs officials on ways to strengthen inspections in suspected cases.

He also provided information on the differences between real and counterfeit products of The North Face to help customs officials distinguish between the two. — VNS