Companies that use intellectual property protection may face a few
problems in the initial period of implementation, but in the long-term
it would improve competitiveness in both local and international
markets.
The advice came from a ministry official who was speaking at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 28.
Nguyen Quan, Minister of Science and Technology, said that IP rights
were a “power tool” for socio-economic growth that many companies had
used in an effective way.
Companies employing IP protection
effectively have been able to create prestigious trademarks, which have
added to their market share and revenue, he said.
As
a member of the World Trade Organisation, in recent years, Vietnam
has issued a number of laws, ordinances, decrees and directives to
establish a legal framework and measures on IP rights.
The minister said that protection of IP rights has enabled the country to deeply integrate into the world economy.
Vietnam is negotiating a series of Free Trade Agreements that
have higher requirements for IP protection, especially the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP).
“Accepting higher requirements
on IP protection will create challenges for enterprises when they have
to pay higher expenses for IP rights-related activities, while local
consumers must pay higher prices for IP-protected products,” he said.
Pham Phi Anh, deputy head of the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam, agreed.
“Applying for trademark registration and design registration could be
expensive, and with limited financial capacity, local firms, mostly
small- and medium-sized ones, do not always have the money to protect
their IP rights beyond their borders,” he said.
However, these are only short-term negative impacts. Effective IP
protection, in the long-term, would create a healthy business
environment for both local and foreign enterprises in the domestic
market, limiting production of fake and imitation goods as well as
actions violating IP rights in the market, he added.
Delegates at the seminar said enterprises have become more aware of IP
rights protection and made efforts to protect it, but many others have
not paid much attention to it.
Representatives of
many enterprises, including Viet Tien Garment Company and Thang Loi
Company, said they have encountered difficulties to protect their IP
rights because of other producers copying their designs and trademarks.
They asked for better support from government agencies.
Minister Quan said the ministry was working with other ministries and
agencies on a series of measures to help firms protect their IP rights
more effectively.
The seminar was organised by the
Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods, the National
Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam and Tia Sang magazine.-VNA