Women make porcelain products in Yen Thanh Commune, Yen Mo District of Ninh Binh Province. Awareness of the importance of intellectual property laws among people and provincial administrations is still lacking.

Department deputy director Ta Quang Minh attributed the trend to the lack of awareness about the importance of intellectual property laws among people and provincial administrations.

He said people in craft villages had yet to set up a collective organisation to register their products and provincial administration did not have policies in place to speed up the process.

According to the Viet Nam Intellectual Property Department, less than 100 out of the 800 specialities are protected by intellectual property rights laws like trademark protection, collective brand names and geographical indication protection.

About half of these protected specialities come from craft villages.

Viet Nam has 2,790 traditional craft villages nationwide, according to the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages.

“But the number of craft villages which have registered their industrial property rights, I can count on two hands,” said association deputy chairman Luu Duy Dan.

Phu Vinh Rattan and Bamboo Weaving Village in Ha Noi’s Hoai Duc District is in the majority of craft villages unprotected by copyright law.

Most people in the village have never considered registering their products for intellectual property protection.

“Our major concern is how to create the best products,” said artisan Nguyen Van Tinh. “We have not yet thought of protecting our products, and do not know how to go about it.”

Tinh has earned a number of prizes for his rattan designs. Last year he won first prize for his rattan flower vase and another award for his creative lampshade design the previous year.

He said his rattan and bamboo products were always between 20 per cent and 50 per cent more expensive than other villagers’ items.

Registering for intellectual property protection would bring artisans many benefits, for instance others would no longer be able to use their protected designs illegally, Minh said.

This, in turn, will encourage craft villages to invest in developing their products’ reputation and value.

At first, Bat Trang Ceramics Village didn’t register for collective trademark protection under the name ‘Bat Trang’. This resulted in internal conflict among villagers, who thought Bat Trang was just the village’s name, not the brand itself.

Some households in the village even exported ceramics under the labels of companies from Japan, Korea and France, further diluting the Bat Trang brand.

The situation was put to an end after the village registered for a collective trademark for its ceramics in 2002.

Since then, the village has sold more products than ever, and its brand is widely-known among local and foreign customers.

Revenue earned from selling ceramics increased to VND135 billion (US$8.4 million) in 2002 from VND117 billion ($7.3 million) the year before, said deputy chairman of the Bat Trang commune People’s Committee Do Xuan Hung.

Phu Quoc fish sauce has a similar story. Since the product was recognised for geographical indication protection, it has become well-known not only in the domestic market but also throughout the world.

“Geographical indication is an intellectual property right and has become an important instrument in validating the quality and reputation of local products,” said Pham Sy Cuong of the Ha Noi Science and Technology Department.

“Adequate protection in both law and practice will benefit Vietnamese businesses, whose products have become popular in the world market,” he said.

Concerns

Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages’ deputy chairman Luu Duy Dan said most people at craft villages did not understand the benefits of intellectual property protection.

The Viet Nam Intellectual Property Department had not disseminated enough information about the issue, he said.

Many craft villages have been restored to prominence, while others are short of leaders to take charge of registering for intellectual property protection.

A recent survey conducted by the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages found 60 per cent of companies in craft villages were reduced to basic operations, 20 per cent grinding to a standstill, and the remainder on the verge of bankruptcy.

Dan said drastic measures were needed to save craft villages in the difficult times, but that an office in charge of craft villages did not yet exist.

“No one is interested or wants to invest in them,” he said.

Pham Sy Cuong of the Ha Noi Science and Technology Department said villages needed a development strategy, as well as intellectual property protection.

“It will serve as a tool to adjust production at these craft villages,” Cuong said.

Minh emphasised it was always necessary to encourage craft villages to register their products for intellectual property protection, even in the face of the existing economic crisis.

VietNamNet/VNS