Anti-counterfeiting in e-commerce: Strengthening inspection and handling to protect consumers

The development of e-commerce opens up many opportunities, but the number of violations also increases significantly and poses a series of challenges for authorities in inspecting and controlling the market. The number of violations has increased sharply, forcing market management forces to increase inspection and handling to protect consumers and maintain market discipline.

Authorities seized many counterfeit products of protected trademarks in Dinh Xuyen commune (Gia Lam district). Photo: Luu Quyen

Statistics show that in the first 6 months of 2025 alone, market management forces nationwide discovered and handled 161 violations, imposed administrative fines of nearly 3 billion VND, and the value of infringing goods was over 1 billion VND in the field of e-commerce. Notably, counterfeit goods are diverse, from watches, branded handbags to cosmetics, functional foods, electronics, books, household appliances, fake powdered milk, fake cooking oil, etc.

As a large area of ​​the country, Hanoi city has many potential risks of violations, especially in cyberspace and fast-moving consumer goods, cosmetics, food, etc. Therefore, the market management force of Hanoi city has synchronously deployed periodic, surprise and thematic inspection plans. Coordination with the police force and interdisciplinary units has also been strengthened to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and handling.

Notably, e-commerce continues to be a hot spot with 72 violations handled in the first 6 months of the year, including 33 in June alone. Violations focus on trading in cosmetics, food, and accessories of unknown origin. This is an area that requires sophisticated professional methods and inter-sectoral coordination to effectively trace and handle.

In particular, some groups of goods such as smuggled cigarettes continued to be closely monitored, with 23 cases handled in June, with evidence of violations reaching nearly 1,900 packs of cigarettes. In addition, the market management force also discovered and handled 7 cases related to N2O gas, also known as laughing gas, with evidence seized up to 206 cylinders...

Mr. Duong Manh Hung, Deputy Head of the Hanoi Market Management Department, affirmed that in the coming time, the Hanoi Market Management Department will continue to direct the professional teams to strengthen the implementation of market inspection and supervision measures, focusing on groups of goods with high risk of violations of quality, origin, preservation conditions and food safety.

At the same time, the Department will continue to improve the effectiveness of state management in the market; in which, focusing on closely monitoring the local situation, not allowing hot spots to occur, strictly handling acts of trading in prohibited goods, counterfeit goods, and smuggled goods on cyberspace, contributing to building a transparent business environment and sustainable development in the city.

According to Mr. Tran Huu Linh - Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), in order to effectively prevent violations, in recent years, the market management force nationwide has been vigorously implementing the Project to combat counterfeit goods and protect consumers on e-commerce until 2025 (Project 319). Along with that, the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development has invited platforms such as Shopee and Lazada to sign a commitment to coordinate in controlling the quality of goods.

In the coming time, the force will continue to promote information exchange with industry associations and businesses to improve the effectiveness of inspection and handling of counterfeit goods and goods violating intellectual property rights, especially in the e-commerce environment. In addition to inspection and control of the market, the force will also apply technology and use specialized software that is being deployed to scan and detect violations from sellers.

In particular, the ultimate goal of the fight against counterfeit goods in cyberspace is to build a healthy business environment, create motivation for enterprises to produce and trade, and protect the rights and interests of consumers. Fighting counterfeit goods in e-commerce continues to be a priority task in the coming time.

“Fighting against counterfeit goods will still face many difficulties and challenges, especially the fight against counterfeit goods in e-commerce, but to do this well, market management must go hand in hand with market building and development. Because if market management is not done well, promoting market development will no longer be meaningful," Mr. Tran Huu Linh emphasized.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chong-hang-gia-tren-thuong-mai-dien-tu-tang-cuong-kiem-tra-xu-ly-nham-bao-ve-nguoi-tieu-dung-708421.html