05 November

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From Online Camouflage to Physical Crackdown: KENFOX’s Legal Strategy in the LACTOMASON Case

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Viet Nam

In July-August 2025, KENFOX IP & Law Office executed a coordinated anti-counterfeiting operation in Hanoi on behalf of a leading South Korean pharmaceutical company, holder of the registered “LACTOMASON” trademark in Vietnam. The infringer was not a “street-level counterfeiter”, but a sophisticated entity constructed to project lawful legitimacy. Operating under the guise of “Lacto Mason Vietnam Co., Ltd.”, the infringer built a complete façade of brand authenticity by copying nearly the entire identity ecosystem of our client – including product packaging, labeling, corporate name, website, social-media presence, and promotional collateral – and then deploying a digital-only distribution model (exclusively through e-commerce...

04 November

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Trademark Enforcement Beyond Products: Forcing a Vietnamese Company to Change Its Name and Surrender a Confusing Domain to the US trademark holder

Posted by Quyen Nguyen

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Viet Nam

Download 1. Snapshot of the Case IMOST Action Forces Name Change and Domain Transfer Despite Prior-Use and Coexistence Defenses KENFOX IP & Law Office represented CVX Pharmacy, a U.S. retail pharmacy chain with registered trademarks in Vietnam covering pharmaceutical products (Class 05) and medical apparatus (Class 10), in an action against a Vietnamese company (“CVX Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.”) that had adopted a company name highly similar to CVX’s mark and registered a matching domain/website to present itself as if affiliated with CVX. The matter was complicated by the presence of another Vietnamese company (“CVX Medicine Trading Co., Ltd”) whose almost identical company name...

30 October

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Trade Name Rights Defeat Trademark Squatting: LChau Pharmaceutical Company Keeps Its Brand and the Squatter Loses Registration in Court

Posted by Dương Thúy

in Trademark, Viet Nam

KENFOX IP & Law Office has secured a major victory for LChau Pharmaceutical Company in a complex trademark-trade name lawsuit over the name “LChau”. This challenging case in Vietnam, which began in 2020 and spanned nearly 04 years, is not just a win for us; it's a significant victory for our client, a leading pharmaceutical giant in Vietnam with a network of nearly 2000 drug stores across the country. Back in 2016, our client acquired a series of 04 pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City, aiming to establish a comprehensive pharmacy ecosystem to meet the growing healthcare needs in Vietnam. In...

03 October

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Identical Filing Dates, Identical Marks: Vietnam’s Resolution Mechanism and How Businesses Should Respond?

Posted by Dương Thúy

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Viet Nam

Download In practice, it is not uncommon for two entirely independent entities to file applications to protect an identical or similar sign for the same goods/services - sometimes even on the very same day. What may appear to be a mere coincidence, however, presents an intriguing legal question: when both applications satisfy the filing-date requirement equally, who has priority? Who will be the lawful owner of the mark? In a rare case, a client of KENFOX IP & Law Office - Eurotek Vietnam Lubricants Co., Ltd. (Công ty TNHH Dầu nhớt Eurotek Việt Nam) - filed an application for the mark “”...

30 September

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A New Hub for IP in Vietnam & ASEAN: KENFOX Named Partner for Shandong’s Overseas Work Platform

Posted by Dương Thúy

in News

KENFOX IP & Law Office was honored to host a distinguished delegation from Shandong Province on 26 September 2025. The delegation was led by Mr. Wu Chengbing, the Director of the Shandong Provincial Market Supervision Bureau, who also serves as the Director of the Shandong Provincial Intellectual Property (IP) Bureau. Accompanying him were senior officials including: Mr. Zhao Jiatao (赵加涛), Director of the IP Promotion Division and First-Class Investigator Mr. Ping Guofang (平国防), First-Class Investigator of the Science and Informatization Division Mr. Yang Fengjiang (杨沣江), Deputy Director of the Shandong Institute of Standardization Ms. Wang Rui, Chief Engineer and Section Chief of the Quality...

17 September

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Freedom to Operate (FTO) in Vietnam: Why and How you can conduct an FTO before product launching?

Posted by Dương Thúy

in Notable Articles, Patent, Viet Nam

Launching a product in Vietnam without an FTO check is like driving at night with the headlights off, possible, but risky and expensive. Vietnam recognizes utility solutions (utility models), a powerful doctrine of equivalents in infringement analysis, and broad “Bolar”-style regulatory approval exceptions. Knowing which of these helps you, and which hurts you, often decides whether your launch flies or stalls. For foreign enterprises considering entry into the Vietnamese market, conducting a Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) search is not a simple administrative box to check; it is a critical, proactive tool for risk mitigation and strategic business planning. In a rapidly evolving economic...

25 August

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Trademark Cancellation for Non-Use in Vietnam: What Valuable Lessons Can Be Drawn?

Posted by Dương Thúy

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Viet Nam

Download The trademark cancelaltion request against Trademark Registration Certificate No. 103943 (“DD DANTI, device”), filed and pursued by KENFOX IP & Law Office, lasted for a decade and has become a landmark case in the field of intellectual property (IP) in Vietnam. What initially appeared to be a straightforward matter of cancelling a trademark for non-use turned into a complex legal battle between enterprises competing to defend and secure their IP rights. This case has helped to more clearly define the regulations on "use of a trademark" under Article 124.5 of Vietnam’s IP Law, limiting ambiguous interpretations and preventing the abuse of...

22 August

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Trademark Assignment in Vietnam: Why It’s Refused and How to Overcome It?

Posted by Dương Thúy

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Viet Nam

Trademark assignment in Vietnam is subject to strict statutory requirements and substantive examination by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (“IPVN”). In practice, assignments are frequently refused on grounds of potential confusion or non-compliance with mandatory provisions. Challenges become more acute if the assignor owns trademarks that are closely similar to one another or, in more serious circumstances, where the assignor’s trade name itself is also the trademark name. KENFOX IP & Law Office, with over 15 years of practical experience and expertise in IP protection in Vietnam, provides in-depth analysis of the risks associated with trademark assignment, along with strategic...

04 July

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Fostering Strong Partnerships: KAYMING Visits KENFOX

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in News

Finding a trusted partner in the local market is key to ensuring the success of any intellectual property (IP) strategy. This was the insightful message shared by Mr. Eric Wang during KAYMING’s recent visit to the KENFOX IP & Law Office. The meeting was marked by in-depth and truly meaningful discussions, followed by a warm and delightful dinner at a traditional Vietnamese restaurant. During his visit, Mr. Eric shared the significant milestones in KAYMING’s impressive development history. It’s clear that the dynamic and talented team, coupled with his excellent leadership, has helped KAYMING build a solid reputation over the years – rightfully...

23 June

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Delegation and Decentralization of IP Rights in Vietnam – What Right Holders Must Know Under Decree 133/2025/ND-CP?

Posted by Quyen Nguyen

in News, Notable Articles, Viet Nam

Decree 133/2025/ND-CP (issued on June 12, 2025) marks a significant administrative reform in the field of science and technology, including intellectual property (IP). This Decree stipulates the delegation and decentralization of certain state management tasks concerning IP from the central level (Ministry of Science and Technology/IP Office of Vietnam) to the provincial-level People's Committees (PCs). The Decree takes effect from July 1, 2025, and will be piloted until March 1, 2027 (unless extended or replaced by new regulations)....