Register inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage in Vietnam?

1. Why should you register the inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage?

Because of the important role of the areas of water supply and sewerage, inventions in these areas are also very important and with high value, not only in terms of society but also in terms of economy. Therefore, it is necessary to have adequate protection for the inventions. And one of the most effective ways is to register the inventions with the competent state agencies for a patent. It is a very popular method in developed countries. A patent can bring great advantages for the invention’s owner, we can point out some advantages as below:

- Exclusive rights - A patent will provide exclusive rights that usually allow the owner of the invention to use and exploit the invention for a period of time from the date of filing of the patent application. Other third parties will not be allowed to use your inventions if they do not have your permission.

- Strong competitive advantage and market position - With exclusive rights granted by the patent, you will be able to prevent other competitors from exploiting commercially your patented invention, thereby reducing competition and establishing a position as a leading unit in the market.

- Legal basis - The competent state agencies will base on the patent to identify the lawful owner of an invention and handle infringements related to the invention.

- Higher returns on investments - The patent will bring higher returns for your investment when you commercialize the patented invention and sell products/services based on the invention. Customers always love new technologies.

- Opportunity to license or sell the invention - If you do not want to commercialize the invention by yourself, you can authorize other parties who have resources and the need to apply the invention industrially. You will receive profits from licensing or transferring the patent.

- Positive image for your company- Customers, business partners and investors may consider patent portfolios as a demonstration of the high level of expertise, innovation and technological capacity within your company. This will be a huge advantage for raising funds, finding business partners and raising your company's market value.

2. What are inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage?

In general, inventions are defined by the Vietnamese intellectual property law as technical solutions that apply the natural rules with the aim of solving particular problems. Inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage are technical solutions that can be presented in the form of new materials, machines, apparatuses or new methods and processes that are applied for particular works.

Inventions in these areas can be protected in the form of Invention Patents or Utility Solution Patents, depending on the nature of the inventions, provided that the invention must satisfy the following general conditions:

- It is new;

- It is creative;

- It is capable of industrial application.

The newest version of International Patent Classification, an international system that classifies inventions into different classes based on their nature, currently classifies inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage into Class E03, Section E. This Class mainly contains inventions as below:

- Methods or layout of installations for water supply;

- Methods or installations for obtaining or collecting drinking water or tap water;

- Water main or service pipe systems;

- Methods or installations for drawing-off water;

- Arrangements or adaptations of tanks for water supply;

- Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks;

- Water flushing devices with cisterns;

- Flushing devices operated by pressure of the water supply system;

- Sanitary or other accessories for lavatories;

- Urinals;

- Methods, systems, or installations for draining-off sewage or storm water;

- Sewer pipe-line systems;

- Arrangements or fixed installations for cleaning sewer pipes, e.g. by flushing;

- Cesspools;

3. How to register the inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage in Vietnam?

According to the provisions of the law on intellectual property of Vietnam, you have to prepare a registration dossier for inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage with the following documents and papers:

- Patent Application Form (02 copies);

- Detail Explanation of the Patent (02 copies);

- Brief Summary of the Patent (02 copies and these copies can be submitted later);

- Protection Request of the Patent (02 copies);

- Payment receipt of the submitting fees (if any);

- Some related documents in specific cases such as the documents to prove the priority right, the right to register the patent (if any), or power of attorney (if any), etc.

4. The process of registration for inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage in Vietnam?

Your application of patent registration for inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage shall go through the following procedures:

Stage 1: Submission of the patent registration application to NOIP office in Ha Noi or its representative offices in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (you can submit it directly or indirectly via post).

Stage 2: Appraisal of the form of the patent registration application.

Stage 3: Publication of the valid patent registration application in the Industrial Property Official Gazette.

Stage 4: Appraisal of the content of the patent registration application.

Stage 5: Paying issuance fee and receiving the Invention/Utility solution Patent.

5. Where to register the inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage in Vietnam?

Vietnamese intellectual property law requires foreign companies, organizations or individuals to apply through industrial property representative organizations if they want to register their inventions in Vietnam. Minh Khue Law Firm is an industrial property representative which was licensed from August 2017 by the NOIP, with the representative code is 226. We helped a lot of clients register their inventions successfully in Vietnam as well as in other countries in the world.

The Intellectual Property Department of Minh Khue Law Firm will carry out all the procedures for the client. Our office based in Room 2007, 20th Floor, C2 Building, Vincom Tran Duy Hung, Tran Duy Hung Street, Trung Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi city.

The person in charge of the Intellectual Property Department of Minh Khue Law Firm:

Lawyer: To Thi Phuong Dzung

Email: [email protected];

Phone number: + 84986 386 648

The completed register dossier will be submitted at: National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam.

Address: 384-386 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan Trung, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi

6. Contact to register the inventions in the areas of water supply and sewerage in Vietnam?

Please contact: Minh Khue Law Company Limited

Address: Room 2007, C2 building, Vincom Tran Duy Hung, Trung Hoa ward, Cau Giay district, Ha Noi city.

Phone number: + 84986 386 648 - Lawyer: To Thi Phuong Dzung

Email: [email protected]

Best Regards,

Intellectual Property Department - Minh Khue Law Company Limited