Vietnam lagging behind in IPR registration

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is lagging behind other regional countries in the
number of internationally-registered inventions and trademarks, according to
an official from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST).

MST Deputy Minister Nguyen Quan made this statement whilst speaking at an
international seminar on intellectual property management held in the
southern province of Binh Duong on Nov. 24.

During 2008, Vietnamese authorities received and processed 32,000
applications for the registration of trademarks and more than 2,000
applications for the patenting of new inventions, representing an annual
increase of 15-20 percent over the previous year, Quan said.

However, the country has just 2,000 internationally-registered inventions
and trademarks, much less than other regional countries, he said, adding
that even the few Vietnamese trademarks and inventions that have been
officially registered have failed to take advantage of this to protect their
intellectual property rights, both domestically and internationally.

According to Quan, the implementation of intellectual property rights in
the country faces numerous obstacles, including unsystematic legal
documentation, weak financial mechanisms and human resources, as well as a
massive market for fake products.

The seminar, co-organised by the MST and the Vietnam-Switzerland Project
on intellectual property, attracted representatives from 50 provinces and
cities nationwide.-Enditem