Vietnam, RoK enhance co-operation in intellectual property

The purpose of the MoU is to further strengthen ties in terms of trademark-related issues and replace the MoUs that have previously been signed between the two sides since 2009.

Dinh Huu Phi, director of the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam, emphasised that after more than 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties back in December 22, 1992, the Vietnam- the Republic of Korea (RoK) relationship has been upgraded to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

At present, the RoK is the largest investor in the Vietnamese market, he said, adding that both countries have since established many bilateral and multilateral co-operation mechanisms with the signing of the Vietnam - Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA). The deal took effect from December, 2015, thereby providing a basis for ramping up linkages in economics, trade, and investment between the two sides.

At the signing ceremony, Lee Insil, general director of the KIPO, said the event has provided an opportunity for representatives of the two agencies to exchange information related to trademarks, appraisal policies, a survey on the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the RoK, and the signing of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme.

Under the terms of the MoU, the two sides were updated on the development of intellectual property (IP) and shared relevant experience in increasing efficiency of IP management. This is along with strengthening the exchange of experts, improving the IP system in a bid to offer support for the implementation of multilateral co-operation frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

She went on to express her hope that the new MoU will contribute to improving the capacity and developing the intellectual property system of both sides.