Well-known trademarks

Well-known trademarks

I.  To be considered well-known as a well-known mark, the following criteria shall be taken into account :

1. The number of involved consumers who have been aware of the mark through purchase or use of goods or services bearing the mark or through advertising;
2. Territorial area in which goods or services bearing the mark are circulated; 
3. Turnover of the sale of goods or provision of services bearing the mark or the quantity of goods sold or services provided;
4. Duration of continuous use of the mark;
5. Wide reputation of goods or services bearing the mark;
6. Number of countries protecting the mark;
7. Number of countries recognizing the mark as a well-known mark; 
8. Assignment price, licensing price, or investment capital contribution value of the mark.

II. Procedures for recognition of well-known marks

 1. Well-known marks are protected by Vietnamese law in accordance with the provisions of Article 75 of the Intellectual Property Law and Article 6bis of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

2. Rights to well-known marks are protected and belong to proprietors of those marks without any registration procedures. Mark proprietors may use documents specified at Point 42.3 of this Circular to evidence their ownership of marks and prove that their marks satisfy the conditions for being considered well-known.

3. Documents evidencing the ownership and reputation of a mark include information on the scope, scale, level and continuity of the use of the mark, including an explanation of origin, history and time of continuous use of the mark; number of nations in which the mark has been registered or recognized as a well-known mark; list of goods and services bearing the mark; the territorial area in which the mark is circulated, turnover from products sold or services provided; quantity of goods and services bearing the mark manufactured or sold; property value of the mark, price of assignment or licensing of the mark and value of investment capital contributed in the form of the mark; investment

in and expenses for advertising and marketing of the mark, including those for participation in national and international exhibitions; infringements, disputes and decisions or rulings of the court or competent agencies; surveyed number of consumers knowing the mark through sale, purchase, use, advertisement and marketing; rating and evaluation of reputation of the mark by national or international organizations or the mass media; prizes and medals awarded on the mark; results of examinations held by intellectual property examination organizations.

4. If a well-known mark is recognized according to civil procedures or under a recognition decision of the NOIP, that well-known mark shall be recorded in the list of well-known marks kept at the NOIP.