The year 2018 was pivotal for the implementation of the country's socio-economic development plan for 2016-2020. Implementing the guidelines of the Party, the Government and the leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology on science, technology and innovation for socio-economic development in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution, in 2018, the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam (IP Viet Nam) focused on building and implementing a series of solutions to innovate intellectual property activities, aiming to facilitate enterprises’ investment and business activities, as well as improving the competitiveness of the economy.

As a result, in 2018, IP Viet Nam received 64,894 applications for establishing industrial property rights (up 7.9 percent compared to 2017); handled 42,867 applications and granted 28,966 industrial property protection titles of all kinds. The formulation of policies and laws on intellectual property (IP) continued to be a focus, with much attention on the drafting of the National Intellectual Property Strategy to guide Vietnam's IP activities in the following years, as well as drafting the law amending and supplementing the Intellectual Property Law to implement international commitments under the CPTPP agreement.

International cooperation on IP was maintained in the frameworks of multilateral and bilateral cooperation. For the first time in history, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung - Head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission in Geneva, chaired the meetings of the WIPO General Assembly in 2018 after being elected in September 2017.

Last year also marked an important change in the organisational structure of IP Viet Nam by Decision No. 2525/QĐ-BKHCN dated September 4, 2018 of the Minister of Science and Technology promulgating the new Charter on Organization and Operation of the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam. Accordingly, the organisational structure of IP Viet Nam was changed significantly to help separate State management and public service of intellectual property by establishing public service centres in line with the Party’s and the State’s guidelines on reforming and re-organizing the organizational structure of political system to be more streamlined and effective under Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee’s 6th Plenum.

Professional activities like training and dissemination of IP law continued to be implemented effectively; industrial property information was properly maintained, meeting the needs of scientific research, technology development and innovation; IP assets development was widely implemented throughout the country through the National IP Assets Development Program, which is chaired by IP Viet Nam and local programmes that contributed to making IP an effective tool for the development of economic and social sectors and localities. In addition, a series of IP activities were also implemented by IP Viet Nam to support the national creative entrepreneurship ecosystem, brand developments and promotion of key national and local specialised products in the value chains,  and improvement if the Innovation Index and the Competitiveness Index of the country.

The Government has determined 2019 will be a breakthrough year to complete the five-year plan 2016 - 2020. Aiming to improve the investment and business environment, promoting innovation and making effective use of the 4th Industrial Revolution for socio-economic development, besides regular tasks, IP Viet Nam will focus on a number of key tasks, including: Completing the draft National Intellectual Property Strategy to submit the Prime Minister in June 2019; completing the Law amending and supplementing articles of the Intellectual Property Law to implement the CPTPP agreement for approval of the National Assembly in May 2019 and drafting the law amending the Intellectual Property Law; continuing to participate in IP negotiations in FTAs, participating in international cooperation, especially performing the role of the Chair of WIPO General Assembly meetings for the term 2018 - 2019, receiving and taking over the Chairmanship of ASEAN Intellectual Property Cooperation Working Group (AWGIPC) for the term 2019-2021 and joining the Hague Agreement on international registration industrial designs. In addition, IP Viet Nam will work with WIPO to implement the Project of Developing the Industrial Property Administration System (WIPO IPAS) for full operation in the first quarter of 2020 and establishing the 4th level Online Public Services as required in Resolution No. 36a/ NQ-CP on e-Government to enhance the capacity of receiving and handling IP applications.

To successfully carry out the above tasks, there is a need for solidarity and efforts of leaders, officials and employees of IP Viet Nam to promote the role and value of intellectual property in scientific research, technology development, innovation in particular and in the socio-economic development of the country in general./.

IP Annual Report 2018

IP VIETNAM