A consumer shops for ST25 rice at a store in HCM City. (Photo: VNA) SMEstook centre stage at this year’s celebration of World Intellectual Property Day(April 26) with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) DirectorGeneral Daren Tang describing them as an engine for growth in a post-pandemicworld.
Phisaid that SMEs played a significant role in global economies, citing statisticsthat SMEs accounted for 90 percent of all companies worldwide and contributed40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In Vietnam, the figures were 97 percentand 47 percent, respectively.
CommercialisingIP and using it for business growth was critical for SMEs in a post-pandemicworld, he said.
Phisaid that efforts were being made to improve the mechanisms and policies tocreate favourable conditions for enterprises in creating, forming, exploitingand protecting their intellectual property rights.
Specially,the national IP strategy by 2020 put SMEs as a focus, which aimed to encourageinnovation and cooperation between enterprises and research institutes anduniversities to develop IP assets for socio-economic development goals.
Hesaid that support would be provided to IP development and protection for keyproducts of Vietnam and products of the “One Commune, One Product” programme.
Accordingly,the focus would be placed on building and implementing a management system forgeographical indication, certification marks, collective mark associated withthe registration of cultivation area code, food safety, quality certificationand traceability as well as developing the value chain for protected products.
Itwas also important to enhance trade promotion activities to promote thecommercialisation of IP assets, he said.
Duringthe past five years, more than 500 key agricultural products received supportfrom the IP asset development programme. The IP Office of Vietnam was alsoproviding support in terms of geographical indication protection in Japan for LucNgan lychee, Binh Thuan dragon fruit and Buon Ma Thuot coffee.
Supportin terms of trademark protection were also provided to Thai Nguyen tea and Chunoodles.
Phisaid that many protected products were recognised widely with increased addedvalue, such as Cao Phong orange, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Luc Ngan lychee, Ha Giangorange and Ben Tre green-skin pomelo.
Noone can register exclusive trademark for ST25
Regardingthe applications for “ST25” rice by five US firms submitted to the US Patentand Trademark Office (USPTO) which triggered concerns that exports of this riceto the US would be affected, Nguyen Van Bay, Deputy Director of the IP Officeof Vietnam, late last week said that no one could obtain exclusive protectionfor ST25 mark for a rice product from the ST25 rice variety.
Therice variety named ST25 has been granted the Protection Certificate No21.VN.2020 under Decision No 45/QĐ-TT-VPBH dated March 6, 2020 by the Ministryof Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Crop Production. Theholder of the certificate was the private company Ho Quang Tri and the breedersof the rice variety were scientist-farmer Ho Quang Cua and his colleagues, TranTan Phuong and Nguyen Thi Thu Huong.
Baysaid that the rice variety was different from the rice made of this variety,adding that ST25 was name of a generic rice variety, not a brand, and ricemade from this variety would be called ST25 rice when sold in the market.
Eachcompany must develop their own brand name for their ST25 rice, for example ST25Bao Minh.
Hestressed that it was impossible for foreign companies to register Vietnameserice ST25 as an exclusive trademark protection, according to the Law on IP.
ST25rice won the top prize at the World's Best Rice Contest in the Philippines in2019, marking the first time a Vietnamese rice variety won the title in thecontest’s 11-year history. ST25 rice won second place atthe event in 2020./.
VNA
