Vietnam, Canada cooperate in IP management

The Global Affairs Canada's training course aims to help Vietnam improve its IP management capacity. (Photo: VNA)

The Global Affairs Canada through the Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and Development (EDM) provided a training course on improving intellectual property (IP) management capacity for a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and Ministry of Finance from November 27 to December 2.

This was part of Canada’s commitment to helping Vietnamese officials and experts to concretise the IP provision under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

According to Deputy Director General at the MoST’s IP Office of Vietnam Le Huy Anh, examination and protection of non-traditional trademark (sound mark), implementation of IP rights, plan outlining and financial management of IP offices, and promotion of innovation were the four main contents of the training course.

The IP protection for sound mark is alien to Vietnam, while Canada IP Office (CIPO)’s financial management is applicable in the country, he said.

CIPO under the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is similar a business model, with more than 1,000 staff and a revenue of 200 million CAD (148 million USD) in 2022, he said, adding the model allows it to expand operation scale and ensure service quality and efficiency at the same time.

The IP Office of Vietnam and CIPO have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2024 to carry out IP cooperation. Vietnam will consider and promote the signing of an agreement on mutual recognition of geographical indications with Canada to ease burden for businesses of both sides, he said.

Hoang Ngoc Dinh, representative of Vietnam’s science and technology in Canada, said that cooperation with CIPO is an opportunity for Vietnam to improve its IP right protection and implementation capacity, while helping localities and businesses better respond and comply with IP issues in the future.

As part of the efforts to carry out the CPTTP’s IP provision, Canada committed to helping Vietnam better its capacity through joining hands with Vietnamese sides to build instructions that help Vietnamese firms implement commitments under the trade pact, and the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure.

In 2020 and 2021, Canada supported the Copyright Office of Vietnam (COV) with administrative reform, implementation of the IP law, and raising public awareness of IP. In 2023, it has sharpened focus on helping the Vietnamese sides with trademark and geographical indication registration procedures in the CPTPP’s key markets, including Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand./.