Great potential of import and export activities between Vietnam and China has resulted in rising demand for enterprises to establish and enforce IP rights in business and commercial activities in China. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A seminarwas held in Hanoi on July 20, aiming to facilitate the registration andmanagement of Vietnamese trademarks and geographical indications (GI) in China.
The event was jointlyorganised by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP Vietnam) underthe Ministry of Science and Technology, the Hanoi Department of Science andTechnology and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
Addressing the seminar, IP Vietnam's DeputyGeneral Director Tran Le Hong said great potential of importand export activities between Vietnam and China has resulted in rising demand forenterprises to establish and enforce intellectual property rights in businessand commercial activities in China.
However, the number ofindustrial property registration applications in general and trademarkregistration in particular by Vietnamese people in China remains modest, he said,adding that the percentage of certificates granted is not high.
The seminar aims to facilitate the registration and management of Vietnamese trademarks and geographical indications (GI) in China. (Photo: VNA) He attributed the problemto Vietnamese enterprises' poor awareness of trademark and GI protection inChina and their lack of experience in setting up rights in the neighbouringcountry.
To assist Vietnamesebusinesses to successfully register trademarks and GIs in export markets,including China, Vietnam is striving to implement many support activities suchas negotiating and joining free trade agreements to create a favourable legalcorridor for the registration of industrial property rights abroad, devising policiesand programmes to facilitate enterprises in developing intellectual propertyand establish domestic consulting channels.
Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the HanoiDepartment of Science and Technology, said that activities to support the buildingof trademarks for local agricultural products and traditional craft villages are being promoted throughout the city.
Up to now, Hanoi has nearly100 agricultural products and craft villages that have been protected bycollective trademarks and certification. Two products are being appraised for GIprotection namely Son Tay chicken and La Tinh pomelo, he noted.
After being protected, manyproducts have received attention of foreign partners thanks to their clearorigins, Son said, adding that the seminar offered an opportunity for Hanoi tolearn more about intellectual property activities and China's experience with the validation symbols.
At the event, participants discussedissues including experience in effective management and exploitationmodels of China's trademarks and GIs as well as difficulties enterprises face whenregistering for trademark protection in the neighbouring country./.
