Trademark protection abroad - Need to exploit the system of protection tools

Photo caption

Stamp certifying the geographical indication "Binh Thuan dragon fruit". Photo: Nguyen Thanh/VNA

Registering a trademark abroad is an important step to protect the intellectual property rights of organizations and businesses for their trademarks in markets beyond the national scope of the registered trademark so that the trademark can be recognized as a global trademark.

Mr. Tran Le Hong, Deputy Director of the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) emphasized: Trademark ownership in particular and intellectual property rights in general are national in nature, so trademarks can only be protected in the country of registration, or in other words, to be protected, they must be registered or designated for registration in each country they want to be protected. Therefore, Mr. Tran Le Hong noted that businesses that want to develop products abroad need a brand, and brands are usually positioned through trademarks.

Intellectual property experts say: Trademark protection is territorial, so in the process of integrating and developing a business's brand, registering a trademark abroad is a strategic step.

However, before filing an application for international trademark protection, the applicant must register or have filed an application at the Intellectual Property Office in his/her locality (the applicant's home country). The registration or basic application is called the basic trademark, after which the applicant files an international application through the Intellectual Property Office, intellectual property registration support organizations or uses international registration tools.

Currently, many Vietnamese enterprises have realized the role of intellectual property and have registered for protection of patents, trademarks, and industrial designs in domestic and foreign markets. Currently, many Vietnamese products such as fabric, dragon fruit, rice, coffee, etc. are present in many key markets around the world and have been registered for protection by enterprises.

Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Department Tran Le Hong said: To register a trademark abroad, individuals, organizations and businesses can search through many channels such as: The Intellectual Property Department - the State management agency of intellectual property to have full information, instructions on how to register, to support experts for applicants who need to register an international trademark, at the same time, the Department also fully supports application forms as well as application processing methods... until the applicant completes the international registration application.

In addition, Vietnam currently has about 200 industrial property representative organizations to advise, support or undertake the registration of trademarks abroad for applicants in need. In addition, the National Office of Intellectual Property, together with localities, organizes a series of measures to support businesses and individuals in terms of expertise, finance, etc. within the framework of intellectual property development programs implemented at the central and local levels.

In particular, in recent times, the Government and relevant agencies have actively developed the field of intellectual property on a macro scale through joining more international treaties on intellectual property. In fact, registering for intellectual property protection in each country will be very costly, time-consuming and laborious, so the international trademark registration system was born to meet international integration.

Deputy Director of the Department of Intellectual Property Tran Le Hong emphasized: Vietnam has joined the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, which allows businesses to register in most countries around the world .

In addition, Vietnam has become a member of the Madrid Agreement and Protocol on the International Registration of Trademarks, which helps Vietnamese enterprises to protect their trademarks in more than 100 member countries conveniently and economically. Accordingly, Vietnamese enterprises can register international trademarks at the same time in many countries that are members of the Madrid System through the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

At the online workshop organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with the theme "Protecting trademarks abroad: A guide for businesses on the Madrid System", WIPO experts said: The workshop aims to support Vietnamese individuals and businesses to use and exploit intellectual property tools well as maximize the advantages of the Madrid System in exploiting and managing trademarks worldwide.

With a single application and a single fee, applicants can register for trademark protection in up to 124 countries. Amendments, renewals or expansions of the global trademark portfolio of individuals and businesses are also carried out through a centralized system. During the workshop, WIPO experts also noted that international trademark registrations are valid for 10 years, so applicants need to monitor the time after approval.

Deputy Director Tran Le Hong emphasized: Before carrying out the process of registering trademark protection abroad, businesses need to learn about the tools, identify supporting units and organizations, and at the same time, carefully prepare and establish a mechanism for trademark protection to avoid "frustration" during the registration process related to legal or language barriers...

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/bao-ho-nhan-hieu-o-nuoc-ngoai-can-khai-thac-he-thong-cong-cu-bao-ho-20250611142700732.htm