The Phở Thìn Trademark Battle in Vietnam: Lessons for Businesses

By Linh Nguyen PHỞ THÌN is an extremely familiar brand with Hanoian food lovers, especially those who love Phở – a traditional Vietnamese dish. Two well-known places where customers can enjoy the top-class PHỞ THÌN are on two different streets in Hanoi – Dinh Tien Hoang street and Lo Duc street. Despite the two restaurants […]

Destination Branding: How IP Can Boost Tourism

By Wipaphat S. Trossel For many countries, tourism is a catalyst for social development. At the start of 2020, the economic growth of these countries was hard-hit by travel restrictions affecting not only the tourism industry, but also all commercial activities connected to it. As a perennial tourist favourite, Thailand was naturally affected as well. […]

[Vietnam Update] Landscape of Industrial Property Registrations in 2021

By Linh Nguyen 2022 is coming to an end, with the year bringing many developments in Vietnam. As Vietnam recovers from a challenging 2021 due to the impact of COVID-19, let’s take a look at how the country’s Intellectual Property (IP) landscape was affected in 2021. Key Takeaways Patent Growth – Patent filings rose by […]

Trademark Opposition: Daimler AG v Vivo Case

By Lauren Bennardo Knowing when to raise an opposition or if your trademark is considered similar to another mark can be a difficult task. Owners are encouraged to assess the total impression of the mark, particularly from a consumer perspective. This was demonstrated in the recent case of Daimler AG v Vivo Mobile Communication Co […]

Wonton Tussle: Who is the Real Owner Post-Mortem?

Eng’s Char Siew Wantan Mee Pte. Ltd. v Pauline New Ping Ping: A Lesson on Trademark Ownership in Business Partnerships By Danush Sinnan Eng’s Char Siew Wantan Mee Pte. Ltd. v Pauline New Ping Ping [2022] SGIPOS 10 Awareness of the ownership of trademarks is important, especially if relationships between business partners sour or if […]

Trademark Protection – A Long Way To Go?

By Ngan Pham Your trademark has been granted a trademark registration certificate after two years of effortful prosecution – is this the happy ending you’ve been waiting for? Congratulations, but NOT yet.

A2 v Atwo: Can These Two “Similar” Marks Co-exist?

By Danush Sinnan It can be difficult to ascertain whether your trademark rights are being encroached upon or not. When is another mark considered too similar? Owners are encouraged to assess the total impression of the mark, particularly from the perspective of the average customer. This was demonstrated in the recent case of Société des […]

Thinking Of Using Your Surname As A Trademark?

By P. Kandiah Did you know that many well-known brands are the names of the original founders of the business? Yes, you can use your name as a trademark for the products you manufacture, or for the services you provide (subject to certain conditions that we’ll discuss below). Key Takeaways Surname as Trademark – Many […]

Key Changes in Vietnam’s Amended IP Law (2022)

By Linh Nguyen and Ngan Pham The Vietnamese National Assembly finally ratified the Amended IP Law on 16 June 2022. The Amended IP Law will take effect from 1 January 2023, except for certain provisions on the protection of sound marks and protection of test data for agrochemicals, which come into effect respectively on 14 […]