Harsher punishment and higher fines could be imposed for intellectual property right infringements, pending the approval of a new decree by the Government, according to the National Office of Intellectual Property.
Under the draft decree, organizations and individuals giving false information regarding the ownership of any item would be fined VND 1-3 million instead of the current VND 500,000 to 2 million.
Penalties would be based on the value of the property in question. Depending on the scale of production and sale of fake products, producers and sellers could face fines of up to VND 100 million (USD 6,000).
The infringers may be also subject to temporary or permanent revocation of their business licenses and confiscation of evidences or equipment used in the infringements, depending on the nature and seriousness of their infringements.
According to the draft, after receiving complaints about, and supporting evidences of, intellectual property right infringements, State management bodies would have five working days to handle the infringers.