By Rin Ousa  Cambodianess Fri, July 24, 2026

The owner of LSV Industry Co., Ltd., Nut Samphois, distinguishes between genuine and counterfeit “Empress” product samples for the audience. Photo: screenshot from Nut Samphois’s Facebook

PHNOM PENH – The recent seizure of counterfeit Empress personal care products has exposed a troubling gap in Cambodia’s creative economy: the difficulty small and medium enterprises face in protecting their innovations and safeguarding years of effort invested in building legitimate businesses.

The latest case involved the operation by the Consumer Protection and Competition Directorate-General (CCDG) on July 16, which discovered 702 large boxes, or around seven tonnes, of counterfeit Empress personal care products in Tuol Svay Prey 2, Boeung Keng Kang district.

The fake products were found to have originated from China and used packaging similar to that of genuine Empress products.

The operation followed a complaint filed by the owner of LSV Industry Co., Ltd., Nut Samphois, who also produces Empress products, including facial foam, body wash and hair shampoo, which have been circulating in local markets for more than two years.

Samphois described the counterfeit case as a serious intellectual property infringement and an act of product counterfeiting that severely harms the local SME sector.

Her videos explaining the case and showing how to distinguish genuine and counterfeit product samples have circulated on social media in recent days. In the videos, she says other sellers and consumers have also fallen victim to the counterfeit Empress products.

Samphois said the counterfeiting also puts at risk years of innovation and hard work behind the development of local products.

“Behind these products are teams of local chemists, production technicians, farmers and many other staff members who have devoted years of their time and efforts to achieving these results,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

On the same day, CCDG authorities also found fake Empress products at a shop in Orussey Market in Prampi Makara district, totaling 15.2 kilograms, according to CCDG director-general Kim Meas Sokseiha.

As counterfeit products continue to circulate in the market, CCDG is also cooperating with the company owners to continue recalling them.

“Authorities are conducting investigative procedures, including gathering evidence and interviewing individuals involved in the counterfeiting of these products, to proceed with further legal action,” Sokseiha said.

Pheng Thea, a partner and attorney-at-law of Abacus IP Cambodia, a full-service intellectual property agency, said product counterfeiting is not a new phenomenon in the Cambodian market, even on well known international brands.

However, Thea said the latest case has drawn public attention and highlighted limited awareness of intellectual property rights.

Regarding the Empress brand case, Thea recommended the owner to take serious legal action by filing a lawsuit and bringing those responsible for counterfeiting the products before the court.

As local entrepreneurs strive to produce Cambodian products amid growing consumer boycotts of Thai products following the border conflict, he said strong intellectual property protection, backed by robust legislation, effective enforcement and prompt action against violations, is essential to supporting SME owners.

“Delayed responses by authorities or enforcement agencies, however, can undermine domestic businesses and dampen the motivation of local manufacturers,” Thea said.

He also advised new business owners to register their trademarks, industrial designs, packaging, copyrights and other forms of intellectual property with the relevant ministries.

In Cambodia, when individuals recognize a violation of their intellectual property rights, they should conduct an investigation to obtain information about the violation, including preliminary evidence of infringement. Depending on the type and severity of the infringement, they may consider taking enforcement action against the infringer.

Several enforcement agencies are responsible for protecting intellectual property rights in Cambodia, including the Department of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Commerce; the Department of Industrial Property of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation; and the Department of Copyright and Related Rights of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Other relevant agencies include the General Department of Customs and Excise; the Counter-Counterfeit Committee; the Department of Anti-Economic Crime Police; the Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression Directorate-General; and the courts.

SOURCE: CAMBODIANESS, Cambodia Fri, July 14, 2026

https://cambodianess.com/article/how-counterfeiting-threatens-cambodias-homegrown-brands

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