31 January

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Use your registered trademark in Vietnam or you will lose it

Obtaining a trademark registration does not mean a guarantee for the maintenance of the trademark validity, because the trademark holders are obliged to use their registered trademarks in commerce and renew the validity before it expires. The purpose of this regulation is to allow the removal of marks that exist on the trademark register but are not in genuine use and/or to block the phenomenon of trademark squatting which unreasonably prevent similar marks from entering the market. This mechanism helps to reduce the number of trademark disputes and reduce registrations acquired only for the purpose of unfair competition and trademark...

30 January

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Copyright defeats trademark rights – Two typical cases to better understand the benefits of copyright registration in Vietnam

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Trademark

Download First-to-file is not an absolute and immutable principle in establishing trademark rights. In a broader sense, it is not at default that when you are the first filer of the trademark, you will automatically be the trademark owner in perpetuity in Vietnam. A trademark registration certificate issued by the IP Office of Vietnam (IP VIETNAM) is not automatically a legal tool to protect you from allegations of intellectual property infringement. We provide two typical copyright-trademark conflict cases, one in China and one in Vietnam to demonstrate significance of copyright in winning trademark disputes. If not for earlier copyright, the legitimate...

12 January

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Restoration of priority rights for patent applications in Vietnam – What you need to know

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Patent, Vietnam

Download A Chinese patent with 12 months priority deadline passed, but the patent applicant still wants to patent his invention in Vietnam. Is it possible to request for a restoration of priority right in the international patent application and then enter into Vietnam under PCT route? 1. What is the “priority date” of a patent application? Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention) is an international treaty that provides, among other advantages, a right of priority among patent applications. Under the Paris Convention, on the basis of a regular first application filed in one of the member states, the applicant may, within a...

12 January

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5 questions to assess whether your product infringes patents in Vietnam

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Patent, Viet Nam

Download You are a patent holder who suspects that a competitor's product is being manufactured in violation of your patent rights. In a different context, you wish to bring a product to market but are unsure whether it infringes on a protected patent in Vietnam. Of course, regardless of what context, whether you are a patent owner or a manufacturer of an unpatented product, the simplest way to determine patent infringement is to file a patent infringement assessment with the Vietnam Intellectual Property Research Institute (or "VIPRI" for short). However, this assessment will cost a considerable amount of money, so it...

11 January

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Important Notes on Patents and Petty patents in Laos

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Patent/Petty Patent

Download 1. What Patents & Petty Patents in Laos? In Laos, there exist two types of Patents, (i) Patents and (ii) Petty Patents. Patents are defined as the “official certificate from the state Organisation issued to protect inventions that are new, involve an inventive step, and are capable of industrial application”. Meanwhile, petty patents are defined as “the official certificates issued to protect utility innovations”. 2. Patentable Inventions and Utility Innovation In Laos To be patentable in Laos, an invention or utility innovation must meet 03 requirements, (i) novelty (new), (ii) inventive step and (iii) industrial applicability. Meanwhile, to be patented as a Petty...

11 January

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What are the requirements for patent specification to be filed in Laos?

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Patent/Petty Patent

Download 1. Patent specification A patent specification must include 10 pieces of information as follows: Subject matter of invention or utility innovation Areas related to the invention or utility innovation; Background of the invention or utility innovation; Objective of the application of the invention or utility innovation; Brief summary of the invention or utility innovation; Detailed description of the invention or utility innovation as set forth in Article 17 herein; Rights claimed as set forth in Article 18 of this Decision; Abstract as set forth in Article 19 of Decision No. 1714/MOST; Drawings as set forth in Article 20 of Decision No....

11 January

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Post-Procedures of the Grant of Patent or Petty Patent Rights in Laos

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Laos

Download 1. Recordal of patent holder’s name/address change in Laos In case the patent holder’s name/address has been changed, it is possible to request DIP to record such change. To this end, a Statutory Statement which must be notarized is required. DIP shall record all changes in the database, document the registration and publish in the official gazette for the registration of industrial property. 2. Duplicate (re-issuance or re-grant) of the Patent or Petit Patent The patent or petit patent owner can request DIP to issue a duplicate of their Patent or Petit Patent in two circumstances as follows: When the patent owner needs...

11 January

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Patent opposition in Laos – What types of patent opposition procedure are available in Laos?

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Laos

Download Laos operates a pre-grant opposition system which is available to both invention patent and utility innovation petit patent. Under Article 13 of Decision 1714/MOST, any interested party may oppose the grant of an invention (patent) or a utility innovation (petit patent) within 90 days of the application being officially published in the official gazette for the registration of industrial property. 1. Time-limit: You may file a Notice of Opposition to a patent or petty patent application in Laos within 90 (ninety) days from the publication date in the official gazette for the registration of industrial property. 2. Required documents: The documents shall be completed...

11 January

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Patent enforcement in Laos

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Laos

Download 1. What are the most effective ways for a patent owner to enforce its rights in Laos? Generally, a patent infringement or disputes may be settled in Laos under 6 ways as provided under Article 127 of Lao IP Law as follows: Reconciliation; Mediation; Administrative remedies; Remedy through Economic Dispute Resolution Committee; Judicial actions to People’s Courts; International dispute settlement Reconciliation: In Laos, the parties may reconcile with regard to IPR violations. The agreement resulting from the reconciliation shall adhere to contracting principles as provided for in the Law on Contract and Tort. Mediation: In Laos, the parties may choose the mediation form...

11 January

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Examination Of A Patent Application In Laos

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Laos

Download An application for a patent or petit patent filed with DIP shall be subject to 2 phases of examination, i.e. formality and substantive examination. 1. Formality Examination of Patent Application In Laos /Formality Office Action: It takes 60 (sixty) days for the Department of Intellectual Property of Laos (DIP) to complete a formality examination of a patent application in Laos. In the course of formality examination, DIP’s examiner shall examine the completeness, accuracy and conformity with requirements as set forth in Article 31 of the Law on Intellectual Property. In case that the patent application is in conformity with the preliminary examination...