Whether Functional Products Are Eligible for Protection as ‘Works of Applied Art’ in Vietnam?

[vc_row triangle_shape="no"][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row triangle_shape="no"][vc_column][vc_column_text]A “functional product”, in simple terms, is a product that serves a practical utilitarian purpose (e.g., household items, electronic devices, technical tools, etc.). For many years, prevailing “orthodox” legal thinking in Vietnam has tended to classify functional products (useful articles) such as bicycles, furniture, handbags, perfume bottles, and coffee machines squarely within the realm of industrial designs. From this practice emerged an almost unassailable assumption: Functional products cannot qualify as “works” and therefore are not eligible for copyright protection. International practice, however, demonstrates the opposite. French courts have recognized the Hermès Birkin and Kelly handbags as works of art...