US-based 3M thanks Vietnam authority for seizing massive counterfeit face masks

The efforts of Vietnam’s market surveillance authority not only protect the lawful rights of 3M but also ensure the health and safety of customers by preventing them from using fake products, according to Chief Representative of 3M Vietnam Nguyen Minh Duc.

Chief Representative of 3M Vietnam Nguyen Minh Duc hands over his appreciation letter to Director General of DMS Tran Huu Linh. Photo: MoIT.

This is the largest case of counterfeit 3M products to date, said Duc in a meeting with leaders of the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance (DMS) on August 24, referring to the DMS’s confiscation of over 150,000 counterfeit 3M face masks at Nam Anh Equipment Production and Trade Company, located at Tan Phu district, Ho Chi Minh City on July 31.

At the company’s production facilities, the authorities found hundreds of boxes containing face masks labeled as 3M, which is the brand name of US mask manufacturer 3M.

On its website at khautrangnamanh.com, Nam Anh Company says it is one of Vietnam’s leading companies in making and distributing medical face masks for the Vietnamese and foreign markets.

Director General of DMS Tran Huu Linh said the case has been the largest intellectual property infringement uncovered in Vietnam so far in this year, adding such act has eroded the trust of compliant firms and their production capacity.

As Vietnam further integrates into the global economy, intellectual property infringements would increase, Linh warned, adding one of DMS’s priorities in its 2021 – 2025 strategy is to combat counterfeit products in the market.