1. Improving IP Policies and Legislation  

Activities on improvement of IP policies and legislation continued to receive attention from localities, being proactively implemented and linked to the practical requirements of socio-economic development. In 2024, 26 documents with IP-related content were issued by provinces and cities (including 04 Resolutions of the People's Councils, 14 Decisions, and 8 Plans of the People's Committees)1 . Notably, many localities intensified the implementation of the IP Strategy by issuing their own local plans or by implementing and integrating IP Strategy contents into local development plans, programs, and policies for various sectors and fields, such as the Intellectual Property Asset Development Program, the Support Scheme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the Plan to Support the Innovative Startup Ecosystem, the Science and Technology Development Plan, and the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program. 

2. Promoting and Enhancing the Effectiveness of IP Rights Enforcement  

Enforcement of IP rights continued to be regularly coordinated by all levels and sectors, especially in inspecting, examining, and handling the production, circulation, and trade of counterfeit goods and IP infringing goods. In 2024, local IP rights enforcement agencies issued numerous plans and implemented various measures to prevent and combat counterfeit goods and IP infringing goods. Departments, agencies, and localities, according to their assigned areas of responsibility, proactively developed inspection and control plans and specialized topics suitable for each type of goods and field.2  The Steering Committee 389 of localities continued to promote its role in directing and coordinating the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods, and IP infringement, considering them as key and overarching tasks in preventing violations and creating a healthy business environment. The control of imported and exported goods related to industrial property was strictly carried out by customs agencies in provinces and cities. IP rights enforcement agencies also regularly coordinated with representatives of rights holders to assist in providing information about rights holders, documents, evidence, and infringing acts. 

Overall, in 2024, localities continued to make significant efforts in industrial property rights enforcement to combat counterfeiting and industrial property infringement. According to reports from localities3  

3. Promoting the Creation and Exploitation of Intellectual Property Assets  

Activities supporting the establishment, management, and exploitation of IP rights continued to be widely implemented in localities in various forms. Activities supporting the creation and exploitation of IP assets continued to be actively implemented through the one-stop-shop counters of the Departments of Science and Technology or through channels such as telephone, email, and many other flexible forms. Competent agencies regularly guided organizations and individuals in carrying out procedures for establishing and protecting IP rights; received and processed requests for using geographical names or other signs indicating the geographical origin of local specialties for trademark registration; supported searching and exploiting information on inventions and trademarks for the purpose of IP rights protection and exploitation. At the same time, localities also supported trade promotion, consumption linkage, technology transfer, and assisted in registering collective marks and certification marks for key local products and specialties. 

In 2024, Departments of Science and Technology of localities provided advices and guidance on industrial property (establishment and protection of rights) to 4,207 individuals and organizations, including 3,862 on trademarks, 236 on industrial designs, and 109 on inventions. Some localities achieved outstanding results in this work, such as Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai. 

Activities supporting and promoting organizations and individuals in the locality to create and exploit IP assets were also carried out by integrating them with local development programs, schemes, and plans such as the IP Asset Development Program, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, the Program/Plan for developing brands/trademarks for key products/agricultural products, the Support Program for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the Scheme for developing an innovative startup ecosystem. Localities also intensified the organization of many creative competitions for youth, farmers, armed forces, provincial technical innovation competitions, and innovative startup competitions to incubate and develop IP assets in the community. 

Ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities continued to implement the IP Asset Development Program according to Decision No. 2205/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister dated 24 December 2020. By end of December 2024, 32 tasks were implemented at the central level and 348 tasks were managed by localities using local budgets, focusing on capacity building for businesses, collective organizations, and people, and supporting protection for OCOP products. Within the framework of implementing the Program in localities, 294 training courses and workshops on IP were organized with the participation of over 11,000 people. The training content was diverse and rich, covering IP law; establishing IP rights; building brands for local specialties; IP asset management; IP and creative startups; guiding trademark registration, traceability for OCOP products; overseas trademark protection; commercialization of IP assets. Localities actively supported individuals and organizations in registering for industrial property rights, with a total of 2,403 industrial property rights applications filed (94% were trademark applications) and 1,550 protection titles granted (94.5% were trademark registration certificates). Some localities that achieved good results in this work include Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Gia Lai, An Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap. 

The support for developing IP assets for key local products has contributed to enhancing product value, increasing competitive advantage in the market, promoting a shift from single production models to concentrated production, and from spontaneous production and development to production and business of products with IP rights protection and controlled origin and quality. IP protection for specific local products also contributes to preserving national cultural values, traditional knowledge, and promoting and honoring the value of indigenous products. 

4. Strengthening Human Resources for IP Activities  

In 2024, training, propaganda, and dissemination of knowledge, policies, and legislations on IP were actively promoted by localities. Notably, many localities adopted new and effective methods, such as integrating IP training and propaganda activities into ongoing programs and projects, typically the OCOP Program. The organization of these activities was diverse and rich in forms, including training courses, workshops, conferences, and propaganda on mass media (newspapers, radio-television, websites). In addition to training IP legal knowledge for management officials in departments and agencies, many localities expanded the scope of training subjects to businesses, students, and farmers, with in-depth content tailored to practical needs. 

5. Forming IP Culture in Society  

Propaganda to raise awareness about IP continued to be implemented by localities in various diverse forms through provincial e-portals, websites of agencies and units in the province, and mass media such as radio-television, print newspapers, and online newspapers. Some Departments of Science and Technology have built a creative startup section on their websites, while also providing specialized information on technology, inventions, IP. Many programs, reports, articles, and media images, along with competitions to learn about IP law, were organized, contributing to raising community awareness and encouraging organizations and individuals to actively participate in activities to protect, develop IP assets, and innovate. 

6. General Remarks  

The State administration of industrial property rights at localities has achieved many positive results, especially in propaganda, dissemination of knowledge and legislation, consulting activities, guiding the registration and protection of industrial property rights, as well as supporting innovation and creative activities. Some typical localities such as Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bac Giang, Son La, Lang Son, Ha Tinh, Can Tho, An Giang, etc., have effectively implemented State administration of industrial property rights, making practical contributions to socio-economic development in their areas. 

However, the results of activities are still uneven. In many places, management activities are not commensurate with the role of the leading and directing agency for IP activities. In localities where the market is not yet developed, IP activities are still formalistic, and the role of State administration of IP is not clearly demonstrated. The professional capacity of IP rights enforcement officials is still limited, and the implementation of tasks is still confused, lacking proactivity, and heavily dependent on the opinions of central specialized agencies. 

  

Legislation and Policy Division  

  

---