Vietnamese firms should take advantage of the international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system to increase the value of their brand names and protect their intellectual property rights, experts have urged.

At the seminar (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at a seminar held recently in HCM City, Phan Ngan Son, deputy director of the Intellectual Property (IP) Office of Vietnam, said that only about 10 Vietnamese have filed applications abroad through Vietnam’s PCT system each year since 1993 when the country joined the PCT system. 

Even the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, which has more than 3,500 officers, including 237 professors and associate professors and more than 953 people with doctoral degrees, has not had submitted international patent applications except for those filed as co-authors with foreign colleagues.

Nguyen Hong Quang from the Institute of Physics under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, said that inventors have doubts about being accepted abroad and are not aware of the long-term benefits of applying for a patent abroad or the funding available to pay for the applications.

He recommended that the State issue a policy to support intellectual property protection and technology commercialisation, especially a financial policy to support businesses.

Anjali Aeri, counselor at the PCT Legal and International Affairs Department under the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), said by filing only one application under the PCT with the national office of Vietnam, or with the international bureau of WIPO, the Vietnamese applicant obtains the effect of a regularly filed national or regional patent application for all 152 PCT contracting states.

A Vietnamese applicant would be entitled to a 90 percent reduction of certain PCT fees for international applications filed under the PCT, according to Aeri. 

In addition, use of the patent and PCT system can be seen as an engine for technology transfer.

The seminar was organised by WIPO in collaboration with the Vietnam Intellectual Property Office.