The recovery of Vietnam real estate market is lighting up relevant markets involving construction industry, building interior-exterior industry and elevator industry also. However, as the demand increases, counterfeit products also join in which makes the market become more complex, especially the trademark infringement problem is making consumers worried when choosing products. Because of that situation, the investigation agencies have started to clarify the issue in order to ensure consumers’ safety.
In the end of 2015, the inspection team on industrial property of Ministry of Science and Technology detected a brand infringement to Mitsubishi brand of “Công ty Cổ phần Việt Nhật-Thang máy Mitsubishi” and “Công ty cổ phần thang máy Mitsu Korea”. Accordingly, those two companies used Mitsubishi trademark and logo (which was being protected for Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan)) in their business name, business facilities and on their products, elevator parts. These two examples also show us the picture of an elevator market which is becoming more dynamic and it is hard to avoid brand infringement issues of many companies in order to gain profit nowadays.
Brand infringement companies could easily purchase or produce elevator components, machines and cabin. Then, they install in Car Operating Panel, counterweight mainboard inserted with logo and brand name of a famous brand. By this method, brand infringement companies are able to deceive the retail clients like household. It does not exclude the case that these companies provide brand infringement products to large customers who do not choose genuine products in order to save cost.
Currently, although the legal agencies are still struggling to solve the brand infringement, there are still many obstacles to thoroughly stop fake situation. Besides, if being detected of intellectual property infringement, a business can sign commitment document and pay administrative penalty to authority. Meanwhile, it is hard for aggrieved party to be able to stop the brand infringement thoroughly, to avoid confusion for the buyer. And the businesses have been violated intellectual property rights still have many difficulties in proving the damage and that is why the lawsuit of intellectual property infringement in Vietnam is relatively rare. Taking advantage of this, the violations continuously happen.
In the future, if the intellectual property infringement still exists, not only the true enterprises suffer losses, but also the consumers are not guaranteed about their benefits when they purchase with a large amount of money but they only get a product with lower quality than advertisement.
