What is the importance of intellectual property rights?

Intellectual property protection is extremely important. When it comes to protecting Intellectual property  two areas of protection should be taken in account:

1.protecting your liability

2.protecting your intellectual property (IP)

Liabilities like the terms and conditions prevent claims initiated by people who use your website. The other liability known as privacy policy is legally required for websites that collect user data. Protecting your intellectual property (IP) requires confidentiality agreement. Every employee, developers and programmers should sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to avoid disclosure of trade secrets, in case they are involved in your website development. IP assignment agreement is also essential for the protection of intellectual property (IP) when you hire people to work on your website.

Intellectual Properties Rights in Vietnam

Among the assets of intellectual property protection a patent is the most expensive and complex form of protection. A patent helps to prevent others from exploiting the owner’s invention. It is a territorial right exclusively applicable in the area or geographical region where a patent has been granted. It is highly recommended that you consult a patent attorney if you’re going to head in this direction.

intellectual property protection asset like a trademark is a sign that can distinguish a good or a service of an enterprise from the other. It is protected by intellectual property rights registered with a national or regional office of emblem, in order to confer an exclusive right to use the registered logo.

Copyright is the legal term that describes the rights of the creators on their creative inventions that could be a design, a painting; literary work etc. in simple words copyright protects the work of a creator.

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How do I copyright a website?

Copyright protects original works of authorship, including the text, graphics, photographs, sound recordings and audiovisual elements of websites and their underlying computer programs. To be copyrightable, website material must meet two criteria:

1.It must be an original work of authorship. It must originate with the copyright owner and show some minimal amount of creativity. You cannot copyright a domain name or the title of a website.

2.It must be fixed in some sort of tangible medium that allows it to be perceived, reproduced or otherwise communicated. This includes computers and digital media. You cannot copyright ideas, procedures, systems or methods of operation.

Who Owns the Copyright to Your Website?

A website is often a compilation of things – text, graphics, photographs, video and computer programs – created by several people. You only own the copyright to the parts of a website that you created, unless copyrights to the other parts have been transferred to you.

Copyright Enforcement Law Firm in Vietnam

If the website was created by your employees as part of their regular job, you will own the copyright.

If you hire someone to create a website for your business, the person you hired owns the copyright to whatever they created. If you want to own the copyright to all of the copyrightable portions of your business website, you will need work for hire agreements or agreements transferring the copyrightable content to you. An attorney can assist you with this.

Similarly, if you are a website designer, you own the copyright to the copyrightable portions of your designs and content, unless you have signed a written agreement transferring those rights to someone else.

Why Should You Register a Copyright?

There are several advantages to registering your copyright with the Vietnam Copyright Office. These advantages include:

Registration serves as a public record of your copyright ownership.

You cannot sue someone for copyright infringement unless you have registered your copyright.

If you register your copyright within three months of publication or before an infringement occurs, you can recover statutory damages and attorneys fees if you win a copyright infringement lawsuit. Statutory damages are awarded for each work infringed and do not require you to prove your monetary loss or the infringer’s gain.

Special Rules for Website Copyright Registration

A copyrightregistration only covers the copyrightable elements of your website that you identify and submit to the copyright office as part of your registration.

Updates to websites must be registered separately unless they fall within limited exceptions for automatic updates and serials. Details about these exceptions can be found on the copyright office website.

If you developed a computer program, such as an html program, that establishes the format of text and graphics when a website is viewed on a computer screen, you can register a copyright in the computer program, but the registration will not cover the content of the website.

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Why is software copyrighted?

Copyright is the answer to a major problem: how do you protect something creative that took a lot of work to create, but very little to copy? That protection is important, because few people will, or even can, create something that other people want to enjoy, unless they have some reward at the end. This is especially true for software, where making an absolutely perfect copy is easy.

Software Compliance Law Firm in Vietnam

Writing software is as creative as writing a book or movie. A lot of decisions and tradeoffs have to be made, and today software takes millions, even billions, of dollars to put together. As a society, we want to incentivize that work. Copyright provides the solution.

Example: Company A develops some new software. An engineer of company A makes a copy of the software and starts a new company selling the same software. Most people would consider such an action illegal.

Software is copyrighted because it represents the intellectual property of its creator, so it needs to be protected from being copied.

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Procedure of extending mark certificate in Vietnam

Time Limit of Trademark Protection Extension

As regulation of law on intellectual property, the mark, trademark or service mark, is one of protected subjects of industrial property right. However, to be protected by law, the owner of mark shall apply protection registration dossier to competent authority prior. When the owner registers and is granted a certificate of registered mark, the owner shall have the exclusive right to label the product, service or both, right to allow others to use the mark throughout mark license contracts, right to assign the mark ownership and right to prevent breaching action from any third party.

Register trademark in Vietnam

However, a certificate of registered mark shall be valid from the grant date until the end of ten (10) years after the filing date. When the validity terminates, in order to continue being the owner of mark, the owner of Certificate shall implement the procedure of extending the protection validity of the certificate. It is important that the owner has to be aware of the time to apply dossier for a certificate extension in accordance with the law.

As regulation of law, time limit of extending mark certificate is prior or after six (06) months from the expiration date of mark certificate. If the extension is applied prior 06 months since the expiration date, the owner shall pay extension fee. If the extension is applied after 06 months since the expiration date, the owner shall pay extension fee and fine for late payment as month.

Procedure of extending mark certificate:

• Application form (as template);
• Original Mark Certificate (if any);
• Power of Attorney (POA);
• Payment voucher.

With highly professional staff and great experience in IP aspect in Vietnam, ANT Lawyers would like to support you in extending your trademark or service mark or both in Vietnam.

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What is "intellectual property"?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.

Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons over these creations. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. IP is protected in law by patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.

Infringements of intellectual property rights in Vietnam

Have a look at some of the most common forms of intellectual property protected bylegal provisions, along with their unique characteristics

Trademark

•           Applies to: Words, logos, slogans

•           Applicant: Business owners

•           Validity: Indefinite, but to be renewed every 10 years

•           Ownership without registration? Limited Rights for unregistered Trademark holders

Copyright

•           Applies to: Photographs, movies, music, software code

•           Applicant: Artists & creative professionals, primarily but anyone can apply

•           Validity: Lifetime of the author, plus 60 years

•           Ownership without registration? Yes, but with qualifications. Limited Rights.

Patent

•           Applies to: Inventions & ideas

•           Applicant: Inventors & designers

•           Validity: 20 years

•           Ownership without registration? No

Provisional Patent

•           Applies to: Inventions & ideas

•           Applicant: Inventors & designers

•           Validity: 1 Year

•           Ownership without registration? No

Other than these three* primary types, Trade Secrets are also a form of intellectual property. What are those? Trade secrets typically rely on private measures to be protected rather than state action. A trade secret is any information that helps make the operation and functioning of a business or any other enterprise smoother. The secret maybe a formula, process of manufacturing, list of customers or a pattern of machines. An intellectual work is not a trade secret if it is generally known within the industry, published in journals, books, etc.

Businesses and enterprises usually ask new employees to sign a contract to safeguard their trade secrets before letting them join. However, anon-disclosure clause may be added to the contract whereby the employee is not supposed to ‘disclose’, reveal or share any of the company’s trade secrets.

*Provisional patent serves as a preliminary to the permanent patent, and one must apply for a permanent patent grant within 12 months of applying for a provisional patent.

If you’re looking to read more about intellectual property then head to the Answers page on the website ANTLawyers.vn. Also, we have pre-vetted, experienced Intellectual Property Lawyers in Vietnam available to complete any IP work you need done for an affordable price. Good luck!

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Is reposting an image or video on Instagram copyright infringement?

Sharing content from other people on social media is far from new. We all do it all the time. However, there are some legal considerations you should take time to think about.

Copyright in Vietnam 

And, with Instagram, there are additional considerations because the platform itself doesn’t support sharing content. So, before you start (or keep) regramming to Instagram, take a look at these legal issues to protect yourself and your business.

First and foremost, you must remember that the user who shared the original post retains all copyrights to the image you plan to share. So, you MUST always give attribution to the original user.

Using an app like Regram or Repost will allow you to @ mention the original user and share their original post caption on your share. But, more importantly, these apps include a watermark on the image you share with the original user’s Instagram username. This is ideal because it guarantees that the original user is given full attribution for their content.

So there’s two kinds of consent when it comes to getting consent from using about using their image: there’s implied consent and express consent.

If you have asked your audience, customers, and followers to tag your business in their photos via @ mentions or tags or hashtags) and they did this on their public Instagram profile, then they have essentially provided you with implied consent to use their content.

But what happens if there is no implied consent? In this case, to protect yourself legally, you must get the user’s express consent to regram the content.

You can comment on their post letting them know that you want to share their photo with your audience. Then you can ask if you can have their permission to repost it. You can also send the user a Direct Message asking the same thing. Once they give you response in writing, giving you permission to repost the picture, then you’d be allowed to repost the picture. If they don’t respond, don’t use it. Asking is not enough. You need actual consent.

I am answering from the perspective of an intellectual property lawyer who has worked with creative artists and entrepreneurs to protect their intellectual property. If you have any other questions regarding the legalities of posting on Instagram, feel free to contact our IP lawyers in Vietnam for advice via email ant@antlawyers.vn or call our office at (+84) 24 32 23 27 71

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How to Prepare Application for Anti-dumping Review

The review of anti-dumping measures on imported goods will be conducted by Vietnam Competition Authority  (VCA) 12 month from the decision by Ministry of Trade and Commerce is issued.

Process of anti-dumping reviews in Vietnam 

Application dossiers requesting for review of imposition of anti-dumping measures shall including (i) Application and (ii) Other documents and information deemed necessary by the requesting party, in Public and Limited version to be submitted to VCA.

The followings information must be provided by the requesting party at the submission of application for review of the anti-dumping duty imposition:

1.      The status of dumping of imports

This section focuses on the change in the dumping status of imports into Vietnam during the period from the imposition of anti-dumping duty to the time the applicant submits the application.

The information to be provided includes, but is not limited to, expanding / narrowing the scope of the goods subject to the imposition of anti-dumping measures; Type / type of goods, producer / exporter selected to calculate the change in dumping margin, change in margin of dumping, normal price, export price for one or a group of foreign producers/ exporter (Note: The method of calculating the data must be consistent with the methodology which the VCA has guided in the dossier requesting the application of anti-dumping measures.)

2.      Material damages or threaten to material damages

This section identifies evidence of substantial damages / threat of material damages to the domestic industry caused by imported goods dumped into Vietnam for investigation by the VCA, decide according to the actual situation.

Requesting party should provide the following information:

– The situation of importing goods

Information and data on the situation of import of goods subject to anti-dumping measures (amount and value) from the date of application of the anti-dumping measure before the submission of the dossier according to the set form and two (02) years earlier.

– Market share of similar goods domestically produced and imported goods

Comparative information on market share of domestically produced and imported goods shall be subject to dumping from the time of imposition of tax prior to the filing of the application in the form and the previous two (02) years.

– Impact of imports on domestic prices

Information on the impact of imported goods on the prices of domestically produced goods from the time of imposition of tax prior to the submission of dossiers according to the set form and two (02) years earlier.

– The situation of production and business activities of the domestic manufacturing industry

Information on production and business activities of the manufacturing industry from the date of application of the tax prior to the date of application and two (2) years before.

– Invest in upgrading machines and infrastructure to meet domestic demand

Information on fundamental changes in machinery and factory infrastructure is related to changes in capacity and capacity to meet the needs of the Vietnamese market from the time of application of the tax before submission and two (02) years earlier of the domestic industry. Data should be shown in the following table:

• Current situation of employers in the domestic industry

Number of employees (or estimated number) engaged in the production, management and distribution of domestically produced goods subject of the investigation.

• Inventory fluctuations

The amount and value of inventory requested for the application of the measure anti- dumping domestic production.

3.      Scope of goods subject to anti-dumping measures

– Purpose, reason for requesting exclusion of products imported by the company from the scope of application of anti-dumping measures.

– Information on products the company proposes to exclude from the scope of application of anti-dumping measures: HS code, technical specifications, technology, use purpose, production process, …

– The list of domestic enterprises producing the same products as the imported products of the company.

– List of other importing enterprises jointly importing the company’s proposed goods for exclusion.

– Documents indicating the difference between the company’s products proposed exclusion and similar products domestically produced. If there are quality comparisons, please indicate the source of these quality criteria (e.g.Vietnamese standards sets, internationally recognized standards …).

– Information on alternative sources of imports, the difference between those sources.

– Other information, documents and evidence that the company deems appropriate to explain the exclusion of the product is appropriate.

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Measures to Prevent and Ensure Administrative Sanctions of Software Piracy

Vietnam is among countries with the highest rate of software piracy in the world, although the rate has reduced from 92% in 2004, to 81% in 2011, 78% in 2015 according to the report of BSA, The Software Alliance that promote legal software use and advocates for public policies that foster technology innovation and drive growth in the digital economy.

Copyright Enforcement Law Firm in Vietnam

Computer software is protected as literary works, one of types of works eligible for copyright protection in accordance with Article 14 of Vietnam law on intellectual property 2005, amended and supplemented in 2009. Unlicensed software is unauthorized use or distribution of copyrighted software.  Copyright infringements include publishing, distributing, copying, using, leasing out, duplicating, importing, exporting a work without permission from the author or copyright holder according to Article 28 of Vietnam law on intellectual property 2005, amended and supplemented in 2009.

The government of Vietnam has been striving to coordinate between ministries to increase awareness and encourage the software license compliance. Further, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has coordinated with Ministry of Public Security to increase frequency of inspecting the software license compliance in Vietnam as part of intellectual property right enforcement effort.

According to the provisions of Article 215 of the 2005 Intellectual Property Law, there are measures under the law of Vietnam to prevent and secure administrative sanctions.

In the following cases, organizations and individuals may request Vietnam competent agencies to apply preventive measures and ensure administrative sanction as provided for in Clause 2, Article 215 of the 2005 Intellectual Property Law:

-An act of infringement of intellectual property rights is likely to cause serious loss and damage to consumers or society;

-Material evidence of the infringement is likely to be dispersed or there are indications that the offender will evade responsibility;

In order to secure enforcement of a decision imposing an administrative penalty, preventive measures and/or measures to secure enforcement of administrative penalties which may be applied in accordance with administrative procedures to acts of infringement of intellectual property rights shall comprise:

-Temporary detention of persons;

-Temporary custody of infringing goods, material evidence and facilities;

-Body searches;

-Searches of means of transport and objects; searches of places where infringing goods, material evidence and facilities are hidden;

-Other administrative preventive measures in accordance with the law on dealing with administrative breaches

How ANT Lawyers Could Help Your Business?

To learn more about ANT Lawyers IP Practice or contact our Intellectual Property Lawyers in Vietnam for advice via email ant@antlawyers.vn or call our office at (+84) 24 32 23 27 71

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Can you patent a recipe or cooking process?

In theory, yes, because a recipe is a composition of matter (new drugs are patented all of the time), but your patent application will probably be rejected by any Patent Office in any country around the world as your recipe is probably an “obvious” variation of some similar recipe that everyone else was already using. If you try to patent your recipe as a new method of cooking, you run into the same problem that your recipe could be considered an obvious variation of other cooking methods that other people have been using for years. Minor improvements to a preexisting method or composition are hard to patent, as trivial improvements are usually regarded to be obvious variations of an old device, and are not patentable.

Vietnam patent 

Not to mention the fact that you have apparently been selling your secret stuff for years, and public use or sale of a new product puts it into the public domain, and no one can patent it, ever, if it is already publically known (in the US, you get a 12 month grace period, but if you have been selling your secret sauce to the public for “years”, that sounds like you are past the 12 month deadline by possibly several years).

i would agree with the guy who said that you would be better off trying to keep your recipe a trade secret. Obtaining a patent is time consuming and expensive, and there is no guarantee that you will actually get a patent when it is all said and done. Simply keeping a trade secret, by contrast, is as cheap and as easy as keeping your mouth shut.

How ANT Lawyers Could Help Your Business?

Tearn more about ANT Lawyers IP Practice or contact our Intellectual Property Lawyers in Vietnam for advice via email ant@antlawyers.vn or call our office at (+84) 24 32 23 27 71

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Patent Prosecution Highway Mechanism Between Vietnam and Japan

First pilot program between Vietnam National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) and Japanese Patent Office (JPO)

NOIP and JPO have jointly undertaken the first Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway program (“PPH”) since 01^stApr, 2016.

According to this bilateral PPH, the patent application filed at JPO (previously filed at NOIP) falling into one of the three following cases:

Intellectual Property Lawyers in Vietnam

(i)     An application which validly claims for priority under the Paris Convention on the basis of NOIP application(s), or

(ii)     A PCT national phase application to Japan without priority claim, or

(iii)   An application which validly claims for priority under the Paris Convention to the PCT application(s) without priority claim.

And meeting other conditions regulated in Procedures guidance to file a request to JPO for PPH program between JPO and NOIP (“Procedures”), the applicant shall be entitled to request JPO to fast prosecute the application on the basis of providing research and evaluation results of NOIP and other relevant documents to JPO for references.

For the patent application filed at NOIP (previously submitted to JPO) falling into one of the three following cases:

(i)     An application which validly claims for priority under the Paris Convention on the basis of JPO application(s), or

(ii)     A PCT nationalphase application to Vietnam without priority claims and this PCT submitted to JPO as an international application receiving agency (applications’ number initiating with PCT/JP hereby referred to as “PCT/JP applications”), or

(iii) An application claims for priority under the Paris Convention on the basis of PCT/JP application(s) without priority claims;

And meeting other conditions regulated in the Procedures, the applicant shall be entitled to request NOIP to fast prosecute the application on the basis of providing research and evaluation results of JPO and other relevant documents to NOIP for references. The duration of the PPH program shall be expired by the date of March 31^st, 2019.

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Process of Anti-dumping Review in Vietnam

After 12 month from the day on which the decision on imposition of anti-dumping measures is issued, the Vietnam Minister of Industry and Trade may decide to review anti-dumping measures at the request of one or multiple interested parties and evidence provided by them.

The time limit for the review is 06 months from the day on which the decision on review is issued, with a possible extension up to 3 months if necessary.

Anti-dumping Law: The Basic Concepts

Within 60 days before the end of one year from the date of issuance of the decision on the imposition of official anti-dumping measures, the related parties may submit the application dossiers for review of anti-dumping measures.

1. Subject of the application:

The following related parties shall have right to submit the application for review of theanti-dumping measures imposition:

-Domestic producers;

-Foreign producers and exporters may submit dossiers for review of the imposition of official anti-dumping measures against themselves;

-Importers of goods subject to anti-dumping measures;

-Governments of foreign producers and exporters which may submit dossiers for review of the imposition of official anti-dumping measures of such foreign producers and exporters.

2. Contents of the application

Contents of the review at the request of related parties

-The dumping margin, the level of subsidy of one, some or all of the foreign producers and exporters;

-Commitments to eliminate dumping and subsidies of one, some or all of the foreign producers and exporters who commit;

-Damages of the domestic industry and the causal relationship between the dumping on goods/ good subsidies of relevant foreign producers and exporters and the damage to domestic industry;

-Scope of imposition of anti-dumping measure and countervailing measure.

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