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PetroVietnam in international trademark
battle
HANOI - The Vietnam Oil
and Gas Corp (PetroVietnam) is still struggling to
retrieve its trademark, even after finding out that the
US-based usurper, Nguyen Lai Corp, a television-repair
firm, only intends to sell the brand to PetroVietnam to
make a quick buck.
The head of the oil giant's
foreign relations division, Dinh Huu Loc, said it is
certain of getting its trademark back because it has all
the required documents.
The Vietnam-US Bilateral
Trade Agreement provides that in case of a dispute, a
trademark will be granted to the party that can prove
its use for a long time. Besides, brand registrations in
the United States are revoked after five years of
disuse.
PetroVietnam's activities straddle
crude-oil exports, onshore oil and gas exploration and
exploitation, and sale of oil and gas products, of which
only the third requires a trademark.
It will
complete registration of its trademark in Vietnam this
month and will register in the United States and
European Union in the future, Loc said. He pointed out
there is no urgency for US registration in the absence
of exports there. However, it is planned as part of the
corporation's long-term strategy.
The company
continues to get government support in these efforts.
Its trademark registration in Vietnam is slated to be
completed in just a month, though the process often
takes nine months.
Tran Viet Hung, deputy head
of the Ministry of Science and Technology's Industrial
Property Department, confirmed that priority has been
given for PetroVietnam to register its trademark
quickly. However, the Trade Ministry has urged
PetroVietnam, in its capacity as the owner of the
trademark, to proceed with its litigation against the
usurper of its trademark and logo in the US Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO).
It is reported that
the oil major discovered two months ago that it was the
latest victim of a trademark heist, following Trung
Nguyen coffee, Biti's, Vinataba cigarette, 333 beer and
Tan Cuong tea. The news was broken on the Internet by
the USPTO when it announced receiving an application
from US-based Nguyen Lai Corp to register the
PetroVietnam trademark with an identical logo.
(Asia Pulse/VNA)
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