Agricultural engineer Ho Quang Cua introduces ST25 rice. (Photo: SGGP)
Regarding the information that Vietnam’s ST25 rice lost its trademark because five foreign enterprises have registered trademark protection for Vietnam’s ST25 rice in the US, on April 22, on the sidelines of the seminar "Vietnamese National Brand Week 2021" with the theme "Taking advantage of the leverage of Vietnam's national brand - elevating the brand of Vietnamese products ", Mr. Vu Ba Phu shared about this problem.
According to Mr. Vu Ba Phu when an enterprise registers for trademark protection, other enterprises are not allowed to reuse that trademark and not duplicate registration. If ST25 rice protection registration by American enterprises is confirmed, Vietnamese enterprises will not be able to directly export rice to the US under the trademark ST25.
However, on April 22, the Trade Promotion Agency checked the information and the trademark registration system in the US shows that currently, there are five registration files for ST25 rice trademark protection in the state of "under checking". Therefore, the Director of the Trade Promotion Agency said that the ST25 rice brand of Mr. Ho Quang Cua - the father of the ST25 rice brand - has not been actually lost in the US market. However, the time for the approval of trademark protection is usually about six months. If beyond this time, there are no legal complaints, the US certification agency will grant trademark protection for that trademark.
Mr. Vu Ba Phu said that to maintain the brand, Vietnamese enterprises must provide evidence, proving that they are the legal owner of ST25 rice in the process of researching, developing, and launching the product to the market.
The Trade Promotion Agency contacted Mr. Ho Quang Cua to introduce some qualified experts to help him urgently complete the application for registration with the US agency. The enterprise must spend time and money on hiring lawyers and experts and learning from the competent authority to get more information when applying to the US authorities.
According to Mr. Vu Ba Phu when an enterprise registers for trademark protection, other enterprises are not allowed to reuse that trademark and not duplicate registration. If ST25 rice protection registration by American enterprises is confirmed, Vietnamese enterprises will not be able to directly export rice to the US under the trademark ST25.
However, on April 22, the Trade Promotion Agency checked the information and the trademark registration system in the US shows that currently, there are five registration files for ST25 rice trademark protection in the state of "under checking". Therefore, the Director of the Trade Promotion Agency said that the ST25 rice brand of Mr. Ho Quang Cua - the father of the ST25 rice brand - has not been actually lost in the US market. However, the time for the approval of trademark protection is usually about six months. If beyond this time, there are no legal complaints, the US certification agency will grant trademark protection for that trademark.
Mr. Vu Ba Phu said that to maintain the brand, Vietnamese enterprises must provide evidence, proving that they are the legal owner of ST25 rice in the process of researching, developing, and launching the product to the market.
The Trade Promotion Agency contacted Mr. Ho Quang Cua to introduce some qualified experts to help him urgently complete the application for registration with the US agency. The enterprise must spend time and money on hiring lawyers and experts and learning from the competent authority to get more information when applying to the US authorities.
