The seminar is organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hanoi on July 5th, 2019. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

At a seminar held in Hanoi on Friday to support Vietnamese businesses in seeking appropriate methods to protect their product designs and labels, Nguyen Xuan An, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJ International Industrial Limited Company, said: "Most  Vietnamese businesses are medium or small-sized and sell their products via intermediary traders. Therefore, they have not paid due attention to building up their own brands from the beginning."

Increasing protection for the industrial designs and labels of businesses is central to  marketing strategy and should be done in sync with expanding and seeking new markets. Le Ngoc Lam, Deputy Head of Vietnam’s National Office of Intellectual Property recommended:

"A number of international registration systems have been set up to facilitate businesses in registering their industrial designs and labels. This process can be done abroad easily and quickly. A thorough understanding of this process is vital to protect domestic businesses’ intellectual property rights no matter the markets they are operating in."

Delegates also shared experiences on protecting their logos and product names as they expand their operations abroad under the Madrid System of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a convenient and cost-effective solution for registering and managing trademarks worldwide.