Talk-show on building and developing brands in the Mekong Delta

On 14 January 2014, in Can Tho city, the Southwest Steering Committee, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) and Vietnam Entrepreneur Scientific Union jointly organized a talk-show on enhancing the awareness of building and developing brands in the Mekong Delta.

The provinces of the Mekong Delta are famous for their specialities conferred by favourable natural conditions, richly indigenous and long traditional cultivating techniques. To develop production and enhance the quality as well as competitiveness of products, there has been a huge demand for registration of trademarks and geographical indications across the region. According to the statistic figures of the NOIP, in 2013, there were 1,837 applications filed and 1,204 registration certificates granted for the Mekong Delta, including Long An (465 applications, 304 certificates); Can Tho (288 applications, 200 certificates); An Giang (230 applications, 114 certificates); Dong Thap (182 applications, 114 certificates), which were equivalent to the number of applications filed and certificates granted in 2011-2012. The registered geographical indications consist of Phu Quoc fish sauce (Kien Giang) – the first product of the ASEAN countries officially protected as an origin appellation in 28 member countries of EU; Hong Dan red rice (Bac Lieu); Cat Hoa Loc mangos (Tien Giang); Nang Nhen - Bay Nui fragrant rice (An Giang); Bac Lieu salt; Binh Minh Nam roi pomelos (Vinh Long). The certification trademarks consist of Soc Trang fragrant rice; Cai Rang - Can Tho floating market (already officially accepted as to formality - 2013). The collective trademarks consist of: Hau Giang anabas; Rach Goc – Ca Mau dried shrimp (Ngoc Hien district), dried gourami fish (Tran Van Thoi district) and U Minh Ha honey (U Minh district); Lai Vung mandarin oranges in Dong Thap; Ben Tre coconut candies, blue skin pomelos, rambutans, longans, mangosteens; Vinh Kim Smithery chrysophyllum cainitos, Go Cong cherries, Gao market dragon fruits in Tien Giang… Ba Lang seedless jack fruits, Phong Dien liquor, Ha Chau - Phong Dien mulberries, Trung Thanh rice and liquor, Thoi An Dong oyster mushrooms, violet sticky rice cakes (already officially accepted as to formality - 2013) in Can Tho. These results are important but not respondent to demands for production and economic development in the period of integration.

 (Photo: Can Tho VTV)

In the talk-show, the delegates, representatives of enterprises, local and central management organs were all aware that there had still been numerous problems to be solved, from the supporting roles of the State, policies-plans for regional development to the assistance of investment and science-technology for enterprises, promotion of propaganda, marketing, enhancing awareness and especially, provision of effective measures to protect and enforce intellectual property rights...  so that strategies for development of the regional brands may come to success.

On behalf of Pham & Associates, Lawyer Pham Vu Khanh Toan, Managing Partner, participated in the talk-show and gave his opinions as well as overall approach of building, developing and protecting trademarks-brands of enterprises, contributing to the implementation of policies for developing the economy of the Mekong Delta.

(Pham & Associates)