Counterfeit bearings are dangerous – WBA sent a mission to Thailand and Vietnam from February 19-23, 2024, to meet with government enforcement agencies.

Thailand

This is the fourth time the WBA has met directly with Thai Customs. The WBA thanked Thai Customs for their efforts to detect counterfeit bearings and requested that WBA applications that facilitate the identification of counterfeit products be disseminated to field officers. Customs requested that the WBA provide a list of possible counterfeiters (Suspect List).

This is the second meeting between the WBA and the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of Thailand, following the first meeting in 2019. The DIP proposed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote cooperation on anti-counterfeit measures in e-commerce, where damage has increased in recent years.  The WBA will sign the MOU shortly.

Thirty-two enforcement officers from DIP and Customs attended the fifth WBA training seminar in Bangkok.

Vietnam

This is the second time WBA has visited Vietnam and the first meeting with the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Since January 2023, Vietnam Customs has been able to stop suspect goods ex officio and has requested that rights holders provide information on suspect goods. WBA agreed to provide information. WBA demonstrated the authentication application (WBA Check App) to the officials from the Customs Control and Supervision Department and the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department.

WBA also conducted a training seminar for officials from the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department (HMSD), which is responsible for detecting counterfeit goods in the capital city.  Noting that most counterfeit bearings in Vietnam are smuggled in from neighboring countries, WBA used a Vietnamese-language flyer to demonstrate the usefulness of the identification application in effectively detecting counterfeit goods. The seminar was attended by 28 participants, including the Deputy Director and other management and staff members.

In addition, the WBA met with the Hanoi Police’s Economic Department and agreed to provide them with information.