Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce will meet other ministries later this month to review progress on the country’s first consumer protection law and will formulate a plan to complete the draft legislation, a ministry official said recently.
This long-awaited legislation aims to level the playing
field for businesses and protect consumers by reducing unethical and illegal
retail and promotional practices. Its enactment will help empower authorities
to crack down on fake or falsely advertised products, as well as food and
medicinal products that pose a risk to the health of consumers. The law will
also allow consumers affected by these products to seek recourse against their
producers.
The Ministry of Commerce received financial and technical
assistance from the ASian Development Bank to work on the draft law. Legal
experts from New Zealand sent by the ADB worked with the Ministry to draft the
law based on consumer protection laws in New Zealand and some ASEAN countries
that have similar economic conditions to Cambodia.
Whilst not specifically an IP law, there will be a number of
provision is relevant to IP holders to protect against unfair competition.
