Urgent protection of brands with indigenous values

Huong Lang Co fish sauce brand actively promotes through booths. Photo: NVCC

Challenges from “counterfeit brands”

The Huong Lang Co fish sauce brand of Mr. Bui Thanh Phu, owner of a business in the traditional fish sauce craft village of Hai Van ward, is one of the first typical brands to achieve 4-star OCOP standards in the city. After more than 12 years of development, this product has been trusted and chosen by consumers.

However, according to Mr. Phu, the biggest difficulty now is the increasing number of similar brands appearing, confusing customers and affecting product reputation. “We have registered for trademark protection, but recently the market has seen many similar names such as “Nam O Fish Sauce”, “Nam O Mr. A Fish Sauce”… making it difficult for customers to distinguish. This not only affects revenue but also reduces consumer confidence in genuine products,” Mr. Phu shared.

Due to the small scale of production, protecting the business’s brand mainly relies on communication and customer trust. Mr. Phu added that in addition to production, the facility has also organized tours to experience craft villages for over 6 years to promote the brand and educate the younger generation about local traditional cultural values.

According to Chairman of Hai Van Ward People's Committee Nguyen Thuc Dung, there are currently 9 products in the area that meet OCOP standards from 3 to 4 stars recognized by the city. The locality always focuses on preserving and developing the brand of typical products.

The ward authorities regularly coordinate with units to organize product promotion programs so that consumers can correctly identify real brands. At the same time, the ward also actively coordinates with the Department of Science and Technology in building geographical indications, supporting registration procedures for protection for producers, creating a legal corridor to protect traditional products.

In Hoa Tien commune, where there are 9 products meeting OCOP standards, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee Nguyen Tan Khoa said that OCOP entities have boldly applied science and technology to production, processing and improving designs, helping to improve quality and expand the consumption market. Many local products are now available in the city's supermarket system and on e-commerce platforms.

“In the coming time, Hoa Tien commune will continue to support entities in registering for intellectual property protection to protect brands and increase product value. We focus on training and capacity building for officials and business households in management skills, packaging design, traceability, value chain linkage and application of 4.0 technology in communication and online sales,” said Mr. Khoa.

Join forces to take your brand further

Recently, many localities in the city have implemented synchronous measures to support people in protecting intellectual property. A representative of the People's Committee of Ba Na commune said that the commune has organized many training courses to raise people's awareness of OCOP product standards and intellectual property rights.

In the coming time, the locality aims to replicate effective models, helping people enhance brand value, expand markets, and create sustainable livelihoods associated with the development of ecotourism and the community.

According to Director of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Thanh Hong, within the framework of the intellectual property development program until 2030, the city has implemented 12 science and technology tasks on registration, protection, management and development of community trademarks for souvenir products, specialties, and traditional craft village products with a total cost of more than 10.2 billion VND.

Up to now, Da Nang has supported the registration, management and development of 154 community trademarks in the forms of collective trademarks, certification trademarks and geographical indications. Of these, there are 4 geographical indications for specialty products including Nam O fish sauce, Ngoc Linh ginseng, Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An bird's nest and Tra My cinnamon.

In particular, Ngoc Linh ginseng products have been approved by the Prime Minister to be added to the list of national products, demonstrating the effort to raise the value of local specialties to the national level.

In addition, the city also supports registration of protection of industrial designs, domestic and foreign trademarks, inventions, and utility solutions with a total cost of nearly VND 1.83 billion.

Protecting a brand is not only the job of specialized agencies, but also the responsibility of each locality and each production entity. The proactive involvement of authorities at all levels has helped create trust among the people, encouraging businesses and small enterprises to boldly invest, improve products and register for trademark protection.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, in the coming time, the department will continue to improve mechanisms and policies to support the establishment, management and development of intellectual property, with special priority given to small and medium enterprises, innovative start-ups, cooperatives and OCOP entities.

The goal is to form an innovative ecosystem associated with building local product brands, contributing to bringing Da Nang specialties to regional and international markets.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/cap-thiet-bao-ho-thuong-hieu-mang-gia-tri-ban-dia-3306365.html