Phan Ngan Son, deputy director of the Vietnamese National Office of Intellectual Property, speaks to Việt Nam News Agency on challenges Viet Nam faces in of applying intellectual property rights in sports.

VietNamNet Bridge - A group of students from the HCMC Information Technology has invented Umind, a virtual assistant which can listen, understand and respond in Vietnamese. It can give strong support to elderly drivers and to the disabled.

VietNamNet Bridge - Amateur inventors as well as scientists at research institutes and universities are also afraid of writing descriptions about their inventions when registering for patents.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s specialties, from farm produce to handicrafts, are not likely to succeed in the international market despite protected geographical indication.

After winning first prize at the 12th national creativity competition for youth, two students from Da Nang will go to Japan to attend an international exhibition in May to display their Braille printer.  

Inventors have complained that it takes too long to obtain patents and a certificate of utility solution monopoly from the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP).

VietNamNet Bridge - Pham Van Hat is a farmer with a seventh grade education who is now earning $2,500 for each sowing machine he sells. 

VietNamNet Bridge - While it costs VND1 million only to obtain a patent in Vietnam, millions of dollars are needed to obtain a patent overseas.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many Vietnamese businesses are not registering their trademarks for protection, putting them at high risk of losing markets.

VietNamNet Bridge - Nguyen Huu Trong of Hanoi has created a piece of equipment that allows a 40 percent savings of fuel, and has been granted an exclusive patent by the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP).

VietNamNet Bridge – The US, Germany, the UK, Canada, South Korea and Japan have refused the trademark protection registration for the Vietnamese “Buon Ma Thuot” coffee brand.