Cambodia lacks the resources for implementing intellectual property rights, while relevant officers lack skills to monitor the import of counterfeit products, according to an official. 

Var Roth San, Head of the Secretariat of National Committee for Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) and Director of  the Department of  Intellectual Property Rights in the Ministry of Commerce, said Cambodia, among the least developed countries, faces many problems in monitoring conterfeit goods, distinguishing those from genuine products and implementing the intellectual property rights.

During a training course on identifting counterfeit products, organised by law firm Tilleke & Gibbins yesterday, Var Roth San said Cambodia lacks finances, human resources, materials and other techniques to monitor and identify fake goods.

Seventy officials from  Customs, Camcontrol, the police, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Department of  Intellectual Property Rights, public prosecutors and judges conevened to learn how to identify and verify genuine and counterfeit goods, according to a press release issued by Tilleke & Gibbins.

Var Roth San said Cambodia produces few counterfeit goods, but many are flown in from neighbouring countries.

“We bring counterfeit goods from Vietnam; we bring them from Thailand and China in huge [amounts]," he said.

"China can produce everything. Anything we want to order, China can produce,” he said. Var Roth San said  most faked goods are clothing and cosmetics.

Alan Adcock, deputy director of the Intellectual Property section of Tilleke & Gibbins, which has offices in Vietnam and Thailand, said: “The production of counterfeit goods doesn’t only happen in Cambodia or in Asia. It happens all over the world. To resolve this problem, clients need the right contracts with manufacturers.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rann Reuy at [email protected]