Authorities in Vientiane’s Xaythany District have emptied out counterfeit engine oil cans to safeguard the rights of the legal importers in Laos.
With recommendations from Tilleke and Gibbins Laos, the Vientiane office of the regional law firm, authorities from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce seized and destroyed 6,864 containers of engine oil that violated the intellectual property rights of legitimate companies.
Engine oil worth over LAK 100 million (USD 5,497) was seized from Champasack Province after authorities started monitoring the illegal import of the product into Laos in May.
Officials from the ministry have vowed to investigate the sources behind the counterfeit engine oil that infringe on the trademark of companies registered in Laos that have legitimate interests within the country.
The ministry also urged the public to report illegal importers and avoid the use of any counterfeit engine oils as it may cause significant damage to their vehicles and could also prove to be dangerous.
Authorities in Laos have recently been cracking down on several fake products as they destroyed over 170 packs of MSG and other seasonings in Luang Prabang and 600 MSG-filled bags weighing 200 kilograms valued at LAK 10 million in Luang Namtha in May.
