Register for car industrial design in Vietnam

Nowadays, living standards have been improved increasingly, the need to buy cars used as transportation are becoming popular. On the market currently, there are many brands with different car designs and models so that people who want to buy cars can buy these suitable for their preferences, purposes, and costs. To be legally protected for industrial designs for cars up to 15 years so that businesses can effectively protect their trademarks, it is essential to register industrial designs at the Intellectual Property office.

What does “car industrial design” mean?

“Car industrial design” means the outward appearance of a car embodied in three-dimensional configuration, lines, colors, or a combination of such elements

Classification of car industrial design

According to the International Classification of Industrial Designs ( Edition according to the Locarno Agreement), cars belong to class 8, group 12 (or class 12-08)

Car industrial design registration dossier

• 02 industrial design registration declarations, typed according to form No.03-KDCN Appendix A of Circular No.01/2007/TT-BKHCN;
• 01 industrial design description; (the industrial design description must meet the requirements of Point 33.5 of the Circular No.01/2007/TT-BKHCN; the industrial design description must include the following information: industrial design name; field of industrial design use; the closet similar industrial design; list of photos or drawings; a detailed description of the industrial design; request for protection of industrial designs);
• 04 sets of industrial design photos/drawings;
• Receipts off fee payments;
• A power of attorney (if the industrial design application is submitted through an industrial property representation service organization);
• An assignment certificate of the right to apply (if any);
• Documents confirming the right to register (in case of being transferred from someone else);
• Documents proving the priority right (if the industrial design application has a request for priority right).

Order and procedure for car industrial design registration

• Method of submitting: industrial design registration application can be either submitted directly or online:

• • Submit directly: Applicant may submit an industrial design registration application directly or via postal service to one of the Intellectual Property Office’s applications receiving places, specifically:

• • • The National Office of Intellectual Property, address: 386 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi city;
    • Representative office of the National Office of Intellectual Property in Ho Chi Minh city, address: floor, Ha Phan building, 17/19 Ton That Tung Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city;
    • Representative office of the National of Intellectual Property in Da Nang, address: 135 Minh Mang Street, Khue My Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang city.
  • Online submission: Applicant needs a digital certificate and digital signature. The applicant also needs to register an account on the Online Application Receiving System and have an account approved by the National Office of Intellectual Property to perform registration transactions for industrial property rights.
• From the date of receipt by the Intellectual Property, the industrial design registration application shall be considered in the following order:
  • Form appraisal: 01 months.
  • Publish the application: within 02 months from the date of acceptance as a valid industrial design registration application.
  • Content appraisal: not later than 07 months, from the date of publication.
  • Time to grant a protection title: 02 – 03 months from the date of paying a granting fee. After having to grant a protection title decision, the owner or the applicant’s representative pays the granting fee and receives the industrial design registration certificate.

Viet An Law’s services in the field of car industrial design registration in Vietnam and abroad

• Search information on the use and industrial design registration in Vietnam and abroad;
• Consult, evaluate usability, register for industrial design protection in Vietnam and abroad;
• Complete the protection title dossier (translate documents, write a description of industrial design, request protection, prepare drawings, make declarations, represent for customers in the submission process, request for extension of an industrial design protection title in Vietnam and abroad;
• Research and evaluate the strongest possibility of infringement of protected industrial design rights;
• Execute the protected industrial design rights: investigate, monitor, negotiate/meditate, take legal action to the court or request other competent authorities to handle infringement in Vietnam and abroad;
• Negotiate, draft, appraise and register contracts the right to use or own industrial design transfer in Vietnam and abroad.