Vietnam: VNIPO’s Meeting with VIPA Focusing on Hot Issues of IPR Procedures and Activities

Hanoi, June 29, 2023, at the head office of the Vietnam Intellectual Property Office (VNIPO), a meeting between the leaders of the VNIPO and the leaders and a number of members of the Vietnam Intellectual Property Association (VIPA) was successfully organized.

This meeting was held by the VNIPO upon VIPA’s request as a forum for direct discussion between the VNIPO and the IP agents. At the meeting, the VNIPO leaders provided relevant information, answers to questions and explanations to a number of hot issues which have caused annoyance and worries recently, especially, the serious delay in the examination of applications for IPR registration, handling of appeals, cancellation and termination requests; the lack of official response and status updates from the examiners; the long disruption an failure of the e-filing system; the urgency of drafting a trademark examination guideline.

At the dialogue, the VIPA and its members appreciated the frank and positive responses from the VNIPO, and expressed deep understanding of the difficulties that the VNIPO has been struggling with. The leaders of the VNIPO and VIPA mutually agreed on some constructive solutions to be implemented in the time to come, typically signing a MOU for cooperation focusing on the exchange of expertise, providing training activities so as to enhance the quality of applications filed by IP agents, support in drafting the first trademark examination guideline, organizing annual meetings etc.

Attending the meeting as a member of VIPA, D&N International’s attorney proposed to the VNIPO some specific solutions as regards a mechanism for official responses from the examiners facilitating IP agents in providing clients with official updates of their cases; solutions to minimize the administrative dysfunction that often leads to unnecessary or nonsubstantial appeals, thereby saving time and human resources for dealing with complex and long overdue cases.

It may take time to see if such an open dialogue may bring about any substantial improvements in the VNIPO’s workflow, but at least an event like this suggests that the authority is making a strong effort to get things better.