Trademark registration for steel pipe products in Vietnam

In the context of rapid construction development, steel pipes are becoming an indispensable material in this construction industry. Many steel pipe manufacturing establishments were founded, besides the genuine products, there is a large number of counterfeit and low-quality steel pipe products at cheaper prices, causing huge losses for businesses. The article below will provide you with regulations on trademark registration for steel pipe products in Vietnam.

Legal basis

• Law on Intellectual Property 2005, as amended and supplemented in 2009, 2019, 2022.
• Decree 65/2023/ND-CP has detailed several articles and measures to implement the Intellectual Property Law on industrial property, protection of industrial property rights, rights to plant varieties, and state management of intellectual property.
• Circular 236/2016/TT-BTC regulates industrial property fees and charges.

What is trademark registration for steel pipe products?

Trademark registration for steel pipe products in Vietnam is a procedure to establish rights for a steel pipe trademark produced by an enterprise to be granted a Trademark Registration Certificate.

Classification trademark registration for steel pipe products in Vietnam

When verifying a dossier of trademark registration, it is necessary to specifically identify the classes of goods bearing the trademark to determine the scope of protection. According to the Nice classification applied in Vietnam from January 1, 2024, steel pipe products belong to:

Class 6

Group 6 includes products that are metal construction materials, for example, metal materials for railway rails, pipes, and metal pipes.

Class 35

Buy, sell, import, and export metal pipe products.

Notable trademark for steel pipe products in Vietnam

Hoa Sen Steel Pipe – Hoa Sen Group Joint Stock Company

Presently, Hoa Sen is a well-known brand on the market. Because their quality comes with the price of the products. Hoa Sen’s steel pipe products are galvanized with high quality. Used for civil and industrial projects. Suitable for enduring harsh conditions due to the excellent quality of each steel pipe.

• Trademark of Hoa Sen Steel Pipe
• Title holder: Hoa Sen Group Joint Stock Company
• Trademark registration application number: 132273
• Date of grant of trademark registration: August 25, 2009
• Registered goods and services class: Hoa Sen steel pipes
• Class 6: Steel pipes

Viet Nhat Steel Pipe – Viet Nhat Steel Joint Stock Company

VIET NHAT STEEL JOINT STOCK COMPANY was established based on the criteria: “bringing products at the most competitive prices from manufacturers to consumers”, minimizing costs for customers. As a result, we have direct connections with the world’s leading steel manufacturers such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal, JFE, Kobe (Japan), Hyundai, Dongkuk, Possco, INJIN (Korea), ThyssenKrupp (Korea), ThyssenKrupp (Germany), HEIBEI, SMC, JINXIN. (China)….

Steel pipe products trademark registration dossier

• Trademark sample: You need to prepare a trademark sample that you want to register for exclusive protection. This trademark should be designed to meet protection standards and not overlap with other registered trademarks or famous trademarks.
• Trademark registration declaration: Information should include: the name and address of the trademark owner, type of business (individual or company), trademark model, and list of goods and services,. ..
• Enterprise registration certificate (for owners who are corporate businesses)
• Identity card/Citizen identification card/Passport (for individual owners).

Trademark registration procedures for steel pipe products in Vietnam

For a trademark to be granted a title of exclusive protection, the procedure for filing a trademark registration application is carried out through the following specific steps:

Step 1: Select the trademark and goods and services for the trademark

• Trademark selection: Choose a trademark sample that meets the protection standards. The selected trademark is not similar to other registered trademarks, well-known trademarks, or trademarks that are descriptive signs that cannot be granted protection.
• Select a goods classes to register: You need to select classes of goods and services bearing the trademark according to the instructions above. Classifying of products and services should be done according to the Nice classification applied in Vietnam

Step 2: Trademark Research

To perform trademark research, customers only need to provide Viet An Law:

• Trademark sample;
• List of goods and services that need to be researched and registered.

Step 3: Submit the registration application

After an in-depth search and the trademark is assessed as capable of registration, the applicant proceeds to submit the registration application. As soon as the application is submitted, the applicant must pay the fee. The table of industrial property fees and charges issued together with Circular 236/2016/TT-BTC stipulating current trademark registration fees and charges are as follows:

• Application fee: 150,000 VND/01 trademark, 01 class of goods and services.
• Substantive examination fee: 550,000 VND;
• Research fee for trademark examination: 180,000 VND;
• Granting fee: 120,000 VND;
• Registration fee: 120,000 VND;
• Trademark publication fee: 120,000 VND.
• For each additional protected good/service class, the granting fee increases: to 100,000 VND;
• For each class of goods/services registered for protection with more than 6 goods/services registered, additional fees must be paid for each good/service from 7th onwards plus:
  • Substantive examination fee: 120,000 VND
  • International classification fee: 20,000 VND
  • Research fee for trademark examination: 30,000 VND.

The National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam is where receives and processes documents and collects registration fees in Vietnam.

Step 4: Formality examination of the application

• The time limit for formal examination of a trademark application is one (01) month from the date of application submission.
• The National Office of Intellectual Property will consider whether the application meets the requirements in terms of form, label sample, application owner, filing rights, grouping, etc.
• If the business’s application meets the requirements. The National Office of Intellectual Property will issue a Notice of acceptance of the valid application and publish the application.
• If the business’s registration application does not meet the requirements. The National Office of Intellectual Property will issue a Notice of refusal of the application and request the enterprise to make amendments. The application owner and representative of the application owner shall make amendments as requested. After that, submit the amended dispatch to the National Office of Intellectual Property and pay additional fees if the group is classified incorrectly.

Step 5: Application publication

• Time limit for publication of trademark application: 02 months from the date of Notice of Acceptance of valid application.
• Published in the Industrial Property Official Gazette of the National Office of Intellectual Property.

Step 6: Substantive examination of the application

The time limit for substantive examination is 09 months from the date of publication of the application.

Step 7: Fee payment for granting a Trademark Protection Certificate

According to Circular 236/2016/TT-BTC regulating industrial property fees and charges, fees and charges for granting trademark protection titles are regulated in detail, specifically:

• Granting fee: 120,000 VND for 01 trademark, 01 class of goods and services.
• Registration fee: 120,000 VND;
• Publication fee: 120,000 VND;
• If the registration application has many classes of goods and services when paying the licensing fee, it will increase by 100,000 VND/1 class.

Step 8: Issuance of the Trademark Registration Certificate

• After the trademark owner has paid the registration fee. The National Office of Intellectual Property will issue a trademark protection certificate within 2-3 months from the date of payment of the fee.
• Trademark registration time is about 12 – 18 months from the date of acceptance of a valid application.
• Trademarks are protected for 10 years from the filing date (priority date). Enterprises can renew their protection certificates with no limit on the number of extensions. As a result, the trademark will be an asset throughout the business and operations of the enterprise.

Above is Viet An Law’s advice on trademark registration for steel pipe products in Vietnam. If you need to register a trademark for a product, please contact us for the best support!