25 April

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Proving bad faith: What lessons to be learned to reclaim trademarks in Vietnam?

Download Reclaiming a trademark through opposition or invalidation procedures is never simple, especially when the rightful owner has not registered the trademark in their target market. Nevertheless, a Turkish company successfully regained its trademark in the European Union through invalidation proceedings, despite not holding any pre-existing trademark rights there. The company's registration had been made in bad faith by a third party. This case features many noteworthy details. The rulings from the two competent EU authorities demonstrated an open approach and a reasonable application of the law, effectively restoring the legitimate owner's trademark rights. This decision also contributes to the ongoing...

24 April

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Understanding IP Law in Vietnam: Why Selling Genuine Products Might Still Be Infringement?

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in Case Studies, IP Practice, Notable Articles

1. RULE ONE is a corporation with over 10 years of experience in the field of fitness and sports supplements. Established in 2014 by the Costello family, who also founded the renowned Optimum Nutrition (ON) brand, known worldwide for the legendary Whey Gold Standard. After selling the ON brand to Glanbia five years ago, the Costello brothers developed a new brand. They continued to leverage the technology from their previous brand while incorporating modern advancements. Among their most prominent products are R1 Protein, R1 Gain, R1 BCAA, R1 Casein, R1 Energy+, and R1 Pre Amino. Rule 1 Protein, a premium...

24 April

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Assessing Intellectual Property Rights Infringement in Vietnam: Four Key Considerations

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in IP Practice, Vietnam

Upon suspecting an infringement of their intellectual property (IP) rights, holders can submit a request to the Vietnam Intellectual Property Research Institute (VIPRI) for an assessment or expert opinion to determine the presence of infringement elements....

22 April

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Medical method inventions: What should be done to obtain patent protection in Vietnam?

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in Patent, Vietnam

In Vietnam, methods of preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases in humans and animals, known as “excluded medical methods”, are not eligible for patent protection under Article 59.7 of the Vietnam Intellectual Property Law. This regulation, established based on humanitarian policies, aims to facilitate access to advanced medical services for all societal classes, thereby improving public health by removing patent ownership barriers. However, it poses significant challenges for patent owners seeking to protect intellectual property rights for their medical method inventions. So, what are the excluded medical methods? How to identify these methods? And are there any available solutions for protecting...

16 April

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Cancelling a Trademark Registration in Bad Faith in Vietnam: What a Genuine Trademark Owner Needs to Do?

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in IP Practice, Trademark, Vietnam

Download [Executive summary]: v. . Tân Việt Company, a Vietnamese enterprise, successfully secured the trademark "CAF PROFESSIONAL SOUND" under Registration No. 390821 with IP VIETNAM. Upon discovering this registration, Kafu Company, a China-based company, filed an invalidation with IP VIETNAM based on bad faith ground. Category Details Applied-for trademark Class & goods 09 (Audio equipment such as speakers, audio amplifiers, disc players).35 (Trading, importing and exporting audio equipment such as speakers, sound amplifiers, disc players). Application/Registration No. 4-2018-28713 (390821) Applicant Công ty cổ phần xuất nhập khẩu & đầu tư phát triển Tân Việt (Tan Viet Company) Genuine trademark owner Foshan City Nanhai Kafu Professional Audio Equipment Factory (Kafu Company) Action Filing a trademark...

15 April

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05 Notable Bad Faith Trademark Cases in Vietnam: What Lessons Should You Learn?

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in IP Practice, Trademark

Download Trademark squatting or the bad faith registration of trademarks to misappropriate the intellectual property of foreign companies for illicit profit has become increasingly common in Vietnam. The more prestigious and reputable the brand, the greater the risk of becoming a target of this exploitative practice. KENFOX IP & Law Office would like to provide 05 notable bad faith trademark cases in Vietnam so that IPR holders who are currently conducting or planning to conduct business in Vietnam can understand the potential risks and challenges, having clearer picture of the legal processes in Vietnam, based on which better strategize their trademark...

15 April

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Trademark Oppositions In Vietnam: What Grounds And How To Effectively Apply?

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Vietnam

Download Intellectual property rights (IPR) holders never want their competitors to register a mark closely resembling their own marks. This is to mitigate legal risks, particularly in preventing confusion among consumers and deterring unauthorized trademark use or free riding on their goodwill associated with their mark. To mitigate these risks and safeguard the value of their brands and intellectual property in Vietnam, intellectual property rights holders must clearly understand the legal grounds for exercising the right to ”oppose” a trademark or to provide 'third-party observation”, as outlined in Articles 112 and 112a of the amended 2022 IP Law. What legal grounds justify...

03 April

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Should you abandon a trademark application temporarily refused registration in Vietnam?

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Notable Articles, Trademark, Vietnam

Not a few trademark applications in Vietnam, whether directly submitted to the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP VIETNAM) or designated through the Madrid system, are temporarily refused for registration. The situation will be more challenging and daunting in case such a temporarily refused trademark has been commercialized in Vietnam for several years. The temporary refusal of their trademark application raises a critical and complex question: whether to continue the pursuit of registration or to consider abandoning the application?...

02 April

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Proving Originality Of An Applied-Art Work Or A Logo: Why Is It Challenging and What To Do?

Posted by Ly Dinh

in Copyright, Notable Articles, Vietnam

When opposing or requesting the invalidation of a third party's trademark registration on the grounds that the trademark is a copy or contains a copy of a work protected by rights under Article 73.7 of the Intellectual Property Law (IP Law), or requesting administrative handling copyright infringement, you may face a counter-statement that your logo lacks “originality” - one critical requirement to enable your logo to qualify copyright protection. Such claims can include arguments that your logo is composed of common, generic, or widely used elements that do not meet the threshold of originality – it lacks distinctiveness, meaning it...

19 March

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How to Report Trademark Infringement to Shopee E-commerce Website in Vietnam?

Posted by Vu Thu Uyen

in IP Practice, Trademark, Vietnam

Download Shopee, Lazada, and other e-commerce website operators in Vietnam are proactively working to protect intellectual property rights and create a safer e-commerce environment for consumers and brand owners. Shopee, in its efforts, has effectively blocked over 33 million listings flagged for potential intellectual property infringements and escalated the suspension of seller accounts for IP violations by 140%. Last year, our firm, KENFOX, acting on behalf of a copyright owner in Vietnam, submitted a takedown notice to Lazada. Consequently, nearly 2,000 listings from an account selling Foellie inner perfume, a Korean brand, aimed at Vietnamese consumers, were taken down upon our...